On the Inside of Love
by MusicJunki
Summary: How to get on the inside of love? Take one Mystery Girl. Add in one Green Eyed Stud. A dash of crazy friends, and a pinch of the Twat and her Tool. Mix for best results! AU/AH
1. Recollections and Sightings

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**nicnicd: HI! I'm Nic, and my partner in this crime is Dawn. Say hello Dawn...**

******MusicJunki: Helloooo! *bounces and waves*.**

**During one of our endless ramble-fests/Rob pic-swapping sessions, we got to talking about our mutual love for 80's movies. We both fangirled way too much over Pretty In Pink, thus the idea for this was born..**

**Each chapter will alternate between Bella/Edward POV, with Nic writing Bella and Dawn writing Edward. So our first chapter arrives by way of our dear Bella....**

**Mucho props to AHealthyAddiction for the masterful beta job. She turned Nic's wicked descriptive ramblings into something pretty! *blows smooches* We love you, Lady! How about a dance?!**

**So, settle in, grab a drink (If you're one of our Twi'd ladies, Nic's no doubt poured it for you!), and prepare to giggle. This is going to be fun!**

**There is a link to the playlist on our profiles. Check it out!**

**_Obligitory disclaimer thingy: We don't own the Twilight world, SM does. However..._**

**_Nic: I own way too many pairs of shoes, and a much abused laptop. Hmmph._**

**_Dawn: I own enough shoes to get by (le gasp), and a crappy-dappy desktop. Meh._**

**_Doesnt seem fair, does it?_**

**"Maybe our girlfriends are our soul mates, and guys are just people to have fun with.." Sex and the City**

**________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

I threw my arm out, fumbling for the alarm clock on the nightstand. The annoying beep persisted until I located the switch and flipped it. _Ahhh, Silence._ That was better. I pulled the comforter from over my head and tried to shake the grogginess away.

_What day is it?_ Shit, Monday. Could there be a less hated day than Monday? Looking at the clock, I groaned, realizing I needed to get my ass in gear if I wanted to make it to class. Flipping the covers back, I headed for the shower.

While waiting for the water to warm up, I mentally reviewed my closet and tried to pick out an outfit. I'd found a sigh worthy pair of blue heels this weekend while out with my roomie… I definitely wanted to wear those. _But what to pair them with?..._ I poured through my options as I lathered my hair. _Mmm..._

The rich strawberry scent from my shampoo always made me smile. I'd long ago learned that sometimes splurging for things did have its advantages. I'll never forget the day Alice freaked out on me for my "cheap, crappy shampoo wanna-be" and had immediately dragged me out shopping to pick up something different. I'd argued with her that I liked the scent of my shampoo; she had, of course, won the battle. I had to admit, though: the Philosophy 3-in-1 that she'd picked out _was_ better. My hair was certainly softer and shinier.

Who knew? And besides, I couldn't help but giggle every time I picked up the bottle. It was called Strawberry Milkshake and it always made me think of that song...

_"My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard, and they're like, it's better than yours…"_

I wriggled and shimmied as I rinsed the suds from my hair, the song running through my mind now. I felt my foot suddenly slip on the wet porcelain, and thought maybe it best not to work my milkshake in the shower. That was better attempted on dry land. I may have gotten over most of my clumsiness, but the shower was definitely not the place to start booty dropping.

I shut off the shower and wrapped a towel around myself, twisting one around my long hair. Alice was forever harping on me to cut it, but I liked it.

Gone were the old shapeless tees and ill-fitting jeans or any hoodies not deemed worthy by Alice. And my scrunchies… oh, the poor things. I think Alice might have actually burned them. My hair was one of the few links to my past I had left.

I made my way over to the closet and pulled out a pair of distressed dark-wash boot cuts that fit me like a glove. I threw them on my bed along with a pretty tan colored baby doll top covered in dark blue roses printed on the bottom and sleeves. A pair of lacy boy shorts and matching bra completed the ensemble. I really enjoyed clothes now, whereas before my style sense was severely lacking. It felt good to be stylish finally.

I'd never really had the influence of a woman in my life; not even my mother's. No one had taught me about "girly" things, like makeup or clothes. I was raised around males primarily, and they weren't interested in that sort of thing.

For instance, the one time I had brought a fashion magazine home, the boys had teased me mercilessly until I ended up throwing it away. That was how it always was; I'd try something feminine, and the males in my life would laugh at me until I gave it up. I had always wished for a different sort of bond, a familiar female one. Over the phone with my mom just wasn't enough. She had occasionally tried to guide me, but I had never wanted her help. She'd done enough.

As I quickly blew my hair dry and ran a flat iron over the rough parts, I realized I didn't have enough time for a full face of makeup; I settled for a little bit of eyeliner, a quick swipe of mascara, and a dab of lip gloss. Throwing on a silver guitar pick necklace, I deemed myself ready.

I grabbed my new shoes out of the box. They were just so pretty. Square toed, a lovely shade of navy blue, with a decent heel and three straps running along the top. I slipped them on, sighing at them happily. Grabbing a pretty, vintage looking tan sweater and my messenger bag, I headed to the kitchen.

That silly song was still running in a loop as I made my way to the kitchen; Leave it to me, the ex-klutz to try and shake what my momma gave me in the shower. I was busy laughing at myself and not really paying attention as I rounded the corner… and I almost slammed directly into Alice. It's a good thing she knew me so well, because she stepped out of my way right before the actual impact.

While you couldn't call me anything other than slender, I had a definite height advantage over Alice. She was tiny little thing, barely 5 feet to my 5'4, and I had a good 15 pounds on her. I could really do some damage to her.

"What's so funny?" she asked as she poured some coffee into a thermal container.

"Nothing, really. Just thinking of how I used to hate heels." I hedged. She giggled, probably thanking her lucky stars that all of her coaching had finally rubbed off on me, and wished me a good day.

***************

As I drove my ancient truck to campus, I passed the time by sipping my coffee and reminiscing on the version of me I'd left behind when arriving at college.

It was an understatement to say that in high school, I was definitely a nerd. I'd never been popular. I made it through high school as a loner, always more interested in my books or my homework than I was in making friends. I didn't go to my prom; hell, I never even went on a date. Not that anyone would want to date the police chief's daughter.

To say my life was lonely and boring would be putting it mildly.

I stayed home most weekends, cleaning the house, or completing homework early. While others my age were going to house parties, or football games, I sat at home. If I did actually get out of the house, I went to La Push, the tiny coastal reservation near my hometown of Forks, to hang out with my small group of friends.

I was infinitely relieved that I had grown out of my awkward phase. Instead of hiding behind a book, as I'd done for most of my time in Forks, I spoke my mind freely; no longer content to just blend into the background. I also didn't take teasing and annoyances lying down like I used to. Instead, I fought back. I was so… bland growing up, it was nice to finally let loose and enjoy life.

Thinking about my boring childhood caused my thoughts to drift towards my mother, and I gripped my steering wheel tighter as I remembered...

My mother, Renee, had bailed on us when she met Phil. Phil was a baseball player she met while at a Seattle baseball game that she and some of her friends had taken their children and I to see.

We'd had great seats, right above the dugouts. All of us kids were being obnoxious and bothering the players while they were warming up. This really cute player had come up to us and was signing our scorecards. He struck up a conversation with Renee, and she had giggled and flirted with him. He asked her if she wanted anything signed, and she had handed him her ticket. He had left to go practice then, but I remembered that he'd winked at her before turning away. She'd looked at her ticket and blushed, and then hurriedly zipped it into her purse.

I later found out that it wasn't an autograph. He'd given her his phone number. And she'd accepted it.

Renee, never having been one to sit idly, apparently called him that night from home. Charlie was just a deputy back then in our tiny hometown. He sometimes had to work late nights… which gave Renee the perfect opportunity to contact Phil. That one little phone call had led to more calls, eventually inspiring Renee to make weekend trips. My mother was an eccentric woman, always picking up on some new craze; yoga or pottery, a new fangled religion, or piano. She would lie to my dad about attending conventions for whatever new phase she was into. Charlie being Charlie… he would always let her go, with no questions asked.

I had woken up one morning, and she was gone. My dad had been a wreck as he sat me down and explained to me that he and my mom were splitting up and that she had moved away.

"It's just us now, Bells," he had whispered softly. "We're gonna have to look out for each other."

I was devastated.

I often wondered: why couldn't I have gone with her? Not that I didn't love my dad; of course I did… but I ached for my mother. When I had asked, her reasoning was that she couldn't take me because Phil traveled too much, I needed to go to school, I needed to be in a more stable place, etc. The truth was that leaving her kid and her husband wasn't right, so she could go gallivant around the country with her boy toy... but I could never bring myself to say those things to her. I loved her even though she had left me.

I realized I had issues with my mother that I needed to work through, but I wasn't looking forward to _that_ conversation. I wasn't one for overly emotional situations, and I tended to avoid heavy conversations.

And that would be a heavy conversation. It would hurt both of us, I was sure. So, in order to avoid a big blowup, I let her think she was doing the "motherly thing". I had nonsense conversations with her, and went out to see her and Phil occasionally on holidays. When I was deciding where to go for college, Renee and Phil had insisted on paying my tuition. I figured she owed me something for dropping me like a hot potato, so I let them. They also sent me a monthly check, which I admittedly blew on things I didn't need.

I didn't give in to the offer for a new car, though. My father had purchased a truck for me. And I liked it. It was old, a classic even, but it ran fine, even if it was loud. Besides, it had character, and I was nothing if not a character.

My clothing style matched my personality. Unique. Original. Feisty.

I combed thrift stores for pretty vintage pieces, and I wasn't above ripping things apart to make a shirt or jacket fit the way I wanted it to. This always threw Alice into a tizzy; she didn't understand why I had to destroy things. I realized I was different from most girls. I didn't need someone to make me feel better about myself. I already liked who I was. My mind went on overdrive frequently and I spaced out often, (evidenced by my almost running into Alice earlier today).

I couldn't help but smile as my thoughts drifted to Alice. I met Alice, my roommate, though my dorm mate Angela. She'd taken one look at me, clucked her tongue and declared I was in need of some serious makeover help. And she had been right.

Alice was my other half. The Ying to my Yang, the Bert to my Ernie, the Mac to my Cheese. She was quirky, and easily excitable. She introduced me to the "Art of Shopping," as she put it. She let me cry on her shoulder when I needed to let it all out. She graduated last year, and had promptly went about opening a record store. I was sure it would be a bad thing, reasoning that people don't buy music nowadays… but when Alice sets her mind to something, she can do anything. _Trax_, her store, was always hopping. She opened it downtown, right next to a coffee shop that the college kids frequent. The atmosphere was fun and it was constantly busy there. Once it was open she had offered me a job, and of course I said yes.

In Alice and Angela, my "A Team" as I called them, I had found that female bond I had been so desperately lacking. As it turned out, I didn't hate shopping. It was just different shopping with girls who _wanted_ you to try things, as opposed to my dad or my guy friends, who would bitch about how long we were in the store.

As cliché it sounds, I'd really "come into myself" in college. I'd found people I fit in with, girlfriends I'd have for the rest of my life, and most importantly, who I really was. Alice and Angela's influence on me had been critical to this. They were always there for me, whether I needed advice, or if I just needed a second opinion on how an outfit looked. Under their influence, I had bloomed. It was nice to have female perspective in the flesh, as opposed to over the phone, like with my mother.

Lord knows the dating thing would have been tough without it.

I had begun to figure out what kind of guys I liked once I got to college. I'd dated around here and there; some nice boys from classes, or blind dates Angela or Alice had set me up on. Some were great, some not so much. But they were all learning tools, and learned I had.

Take Mike Newton for example. I'd lost my virginity to him in the back of his behemoth Suburban my freshman year. It was terribly clumsy, all fumbled hands and legs, and it hurt like a sonofabitch. I'd dropped him soon afterwards. I got the impression that he was going to profess his undying love for me, and I just couldn't stomach that. Not that Mike wasn't a nice guy... he was. But I knew that he wasn't the type of guy I could see myself with long-term. He never challenged me. He'd go along with what I wanted, and I didn't want a pushover. I'd been a pushover for most of my life, and I hated it. I ran into dear old Mike from time to time, at a bar, or around campus. He still puppy dogged me relentlessly.

I shook myself out of my thoughts as I made my way onto campus, and parked my truck near the Business building. As I locked my door, I noticed the least favorite part of my Mondays casually leaning against a tree, staring at me.

_Here we go again_, I thought to myself.

"Bella," James Roman called out. "What are you doing tonight?"

_Ahh_, James. He was the bane of my existence. I hated his pretty boy good looks and the overall douche-like way he carried himself. He was the president of some fraternity or another, and had dogged my steps ever since Alice and Angela had de-nerd-ified me. You would think that my turning him down, oh, _every time he asked_ would put a damper on that shit, but it hadn't. I figured that he viewed me as just another girl his daddy's money could buy; another notch to add to his bed post.

He was sorely mistaken. I didn't do jerks.

"Studying," was my curt reply as I tried to sneak past him.

"You know Bella, that condition of yours, you know, the bitchy one? They have doctors that can help you with that."

_Oh, hell no._

I stopped in my tracks and whirled around, two seconds from wrenching the lid off of my thermal coffee cup and tossing it in his face.

"Excuse me?" I said through clenched teeth_. I swear, I am gonna rip him a new..._

"You heard me," he spat. "You act like I like playing this cat and mouse game, Bella, but I don't. One of these days, I'm going to stop asking."

"Please, oh high and mighty one, let today be the day that you do." I was fuming now, and there was a small crowd of onlookers watching the show. "I don't know how many times I can try and put it nicely, so I'll just lay it out for you. I'm not now, nor will I ever be, interested in you. I wouldn't bang you with a bag over your head. I'd rather cut off my toes with rusty scissors first."

I watched his face go from amused to downright furious. I'm sure he'd never been turned down so publicly before, and he didn't like it.

"Fuck you, Swan," he seethed. "I was just trying to do your ass a favor. Not like any other quality guys would be sniffing around your low-rent ass."

With that he turned on his heel and stalked across the lawn, pushing any poor soul unfortunate enough to get in his way.

Pissed off, I made my way towards my class, my good morning now thoroughly ruined.

********************

After my class, I headed back to my truck to put away my coffee mug. On Mondays, I only had two classes, with a small break in between. Then I would go to Trax for my mid afternoon to early evening shift.

I was still seething over James. The guy had a girlfriend, for fuck's sake. Granted, she was a grade A hag, but still. Not that I wouldn't mind knocking her down a few pegs. I had a few classes with the lovely Victoria Leecher, and by the end of them I usually just wanted to rip her hair out. I thought she got off on picking at me. My clothes, which I adored, were evidently not as good as her designer brands. I had a feeling she knew how James chased after me, but... really? Shouldn't she be more upset at him, the _pursuer_, rather than me, who didn't give a flying fuck? Needless to say, the Twat and her Tool were the reason I avoided the Greek parties Alice and Angela were forever trying to drag me to.

I grabbed a spot on the edge of Drumheller Fountain to wait until my next class. It was a beautiful fall day in Seattle, and surprisingly not raining. I opened my messenger bag to pull out my iPod and the book I had been reading**. **I selected a mellow play list and lost myself in the words on the pages.

My next class was with Victoria, and I was debating on seriously skipping it... but I had to turn in a paper. Damn, looked like I was going. I checked the time on my iPod and saw that I only had a few minutes to make it there, so I hurriedly shoved my things into my bag when I heard a voice behind me ask me for the time.

"It's 10:43," I said, not looking up as I started to move towards the building.

"Thanks." I heard the voice call after me. I waved over my shoulder and kept going.

I made it into class with barely enough time to toss my paper into the basket the professor had set out. I took out my things and got settled as the professor started her lecture. I was thinking about work and wondering if Alice had got that new CD that I wanted to hear; I was hoping she'd let me sample it over the speaker system at work.

A bitchy giggle that I knew all too well interrupted my thoughts.

"I mean, look at her," the Hag simpered to her bevy of Barbies. "Really, what possessed her to put that on? It looks like something my grandma would wear."

"Bite me," I shot back, not needing to look across the walkway to see Victoria and her minions. "I like it, and I don't dress to please you." I finally turned her way, and watched her eyes narrow. I gave her a shit eating grin.

"Awww, whatsamatter Vic? Did I hurt your feelings?" I mocked her in a whiny voice.

"Please, as if you..." She was cut off by the professor.

"Ladies," she said, glancing between me and Victoria, "do we have a problem?"

"No professor," I answered first. "Just asking where we were."

She didn't look convinced, but she continued on with her lecture anyway. I felt Victoria's evil glare burning into the side of my head. I really wasn't in the mood for her shit today. I concentrated on taking actual notes now, not just doodling on my paper. Sometimes I really wished my brain didn't wander so often, especially when I was in class; I did need to learn these things, but I couldn't help it. It was an inherent part of me

The professor let us out a few minutes early. I grabbed my things to go and was just getting out of my seat when Hag Number One got in my face.

"Listen bitch," Victoria snapped at me. "Stay the hell away from James." _Ahh, so she or one of the Hagettes must have witnessed the parking lot folly earlier._

"Gladly," I shot back. "Perhaps you could tell him the same? I've told him 'no' a thousand times, but he must not be getting what he needs at home because he just... keeps... asking." I looked her up and down pointedly, and hitched my bag further up my shoulder.

She gaped at me like the idiot she was. I really didn't have time for this, so I turned and headed for the door. I had to get to work. Even though I knew Alice wouldn't harp on me if I was late, this whole day was just turning into a gigantic bitchfest and I was over it.

I pitched my things into my truck and headed for Trax.

"_Sayonara,_ Bitches," I tossed over my shoulder.

**********************

I met Alice in the office, where she was in rare form, positively bouncing over a box of new releases

"Oh, Bella, you're finally here!" she squealed at me, clapping her hands. _Oh Shit..._

"Alice, did you take speed?" I asked skeptically. I was being an ass, but I loved to tease her.

"No, I did not," She insisted. "For your information, I was just looking over the new releases and thought you'd be excited by this one." She dangled a CD in front of my face, and then drew it back. "I was waiting for you to pop it in the stereo, but I can see you don't care."

Hah, now she was all huffy with me.

"Alice, darling, schnookykins..." I was flat out begging now. "I'm terribly sorry. You know I love you more than my shoe collection. Please? Please? Pleeeeeease?" It was the CD I'd been thinking about earlier. I threw on my pouty face, but then realized I'd learned it from her, so I hugged her instead.

Happy little pixie girl couldn't resist a hug.

"Oh, fine." she relented and tossed the CD my way.

She told me that the teenage boy that she had hired recently, Eric, wouldn't be in till later and asked if I would mind staying a little later than normal. I didn't have a problem with that. She promised that she'd be up to help me after logging the invoices of new shipments into the computer.

I headed up front and slipped the CD into the deck. Once the music began to play, I turned the volume up a bit; the morning-shift guy always played his folksy tunes at a low level.

I began helping a girl who was asking about some teenybopper flavor of the week CD, and then quickly the store was flooded with customers. The rush didn't die down for the next hour and a half, and I was seriously considering mutiny against Alice if she didn't make an appearance, like, now.

As the store began to clear out, I sensed my idle mind starting to wander towards Jakey. I hadn't heard from him in a few days, which was quite the rarity. Normally he was everywhere I was. He was two years younger than me, and had followed me to college. He was a freshman now, and was probably caught up in the stresses of freshman year. That must be it. No wonder I hadn't seen him.

Charlie and his best fishing buddy, Billy Black, who was from the La Push reservation, were the catalysts to mine and Jakey's close bond. Charlie would take me fishing with him when I was too young to stay home by myself. Billy would normally bring Jakey, so I had someone around my age to play with, and probably to keep me out of their way. We became fast friends.

Some people said he mooned over me… but I knew that was just Jake. He had hovered over me ever since my mom left. We had always been "Just Friends". Alice believed he was in love with me, but of course she was wrong. She didn't know him like I did. He was just Jakey, my little "brotha from anotha motha".

I giggled then, thinking of the day we'd started using that term. We'd been down on the reservation, and the older boys were teasing me as to why I was always around. I'd started to get my feelings hurt, because, really, the truth was that I had no one else to hang out with... that was when Jakey had swooped in.

"Dude," he'd said playfully as he'd pushed Sam, "I'm her brotha from anotha motha." The other boys had cracked up at that, and Jake had later told me not to get upset by the ribbing; that they liked me just as much as he did. I knew that he was making sure the situation turned funny so I wouldn't feel bad.

_I really need to call him tonight..._ I was missing him, and worried over him like the mother hen I was.

I was pulled away from my thoughts by another customer needing to be rung up. When the customer left, I looked around and noticed that the store had quieted down a bit, so I took the opportunity to grab my things from my messenger bag.

At least here my space outs made the time pass by faster. Sometimes I thought about the people in my life, but sometimes I observed what was in front of me. I loved to watch the customers, and muse on what their lives were like.

Take that girl there, for instance. Look at her, in her cute red plaid high heels, jeans and a swing coat. She was totally adorable, with her bobbed hair cut and black leather bag. But what was she doing in the hard rock section? Maybe her boyfriend is a biker, or she moonlights as a riot-grrrl. Maybe her younger teen-aged brother had a birthday coming up, and she was getting his gift?

Or maybe it was none of those things; perhaps she just enjoyed loud music, despite her appearance.

I was still wondering what had kept Alice when the bell above the door jangled. I looked up and froze then, immediately transfixed by the sight before me.

_Ho-ly Shiiiiit._

To term this man simply "cute" would be a travesty. I could say "hot", but that would be an understatement.

He was downright _Beautiful_, with a capital F-me.

He had crazy, bronze colored hair that stuck up at random directions all over his head. "Bed head", that's what Alice would call it. Sex hair, yes, definitely. It looked like he'd just had crazy sex, and the girl couldn't keep her hands away from that gorgeous head. Not that I'd blame her. He had brilliant green eyes, a strong jaw line, and a full, pouty lower lip, which was quirking up at one side as I continued to stare, like he'd just heard a good joke.

I tore myself away from his face, but couldn't help but peek at him walk away. I had this crazy urge to call out something like, "Nice ass!" and make a cat call, or something to acknowledge he'd just walked in. But that probably wouldn't have gone over too well. I was bold, but not _that_ bold! Instead, I focused on his clothes. He wore dark wash jeans, which were artfully distressed, and a white tee under a black button up which he had rolled up a few times. He carried a black leather messenger bag, which probably meant he was a student. _Score! _Black leather belt and wrist cuff, and a pair of spiffy white ADIDAS.

_Dude. All Day I Dream About Doing You..._

_Snap out of it Bella, _I scolded myself silently_._ I didn't want him to see me drool. That would definitely suck.

I continued to watch him as he made his way through the aisles, stopping sporadically to look over the selection. _What I wouldn't do to this guy_...

I imagined myself pulling him into the back room and pushing him down into the chair, moving to straddle him. Leaning into him, I'd start at his neck, peppering kisses up to that beautiful jaw of his, my hand smoothing its way down the front of his shirt...

I was interrupted from my deliciously dirty, scrumptious, naughty thoughts by a customer wanting to check out. I was still in a daze as I rang her up, barely stuttering out her total. I quickly sent her on her way.

When I looked up, I caught Sex Hair watching me. I blushed as I averted my eyes.

Of course, at this precise moment - Alice chose to walk up from the back. She took in my red face, and let loose one of her smart-ass quips.

"Whoa, Bella," she giggled "Why the fire engine impersonation?" _She finally decides to make her appearance as I'm in full on flaming panty mode. _Typical.

"Alice," I hissed under my breath. Shit! He was now easily within hearing distance. "Drop it."

She peered at me, and her eyes wandered around the store. I saw her have an "Aha!" moment. _Great._ She was going to say something silly, and I really did not want to be embarrassed in front of this guy…

Just then, the phone rang and I looked at her pointedly. She grabbed it.

"Trax," she said, listening to the caller for a minute before muttering something about, "I'm already sleeping with you, why do I need to give you a ride to work too?"

I smiled at my luck. She would be on the phone for a while.

_Thank You, Sweet Baby Jesus! _I watched her over my shoulder for a few seconds, then turned my head back to the register.

"Oh!" He was at the counter now, holding a CD out to me. Sex Hair.

"Find everything alright?" _Really, Bella, obviously he did. You can be such a spaz sometimes_. And now I'm chastising myself. _Great._

"I did." _Guh._ Even his voice was sexy. My imagination went wild… I thought about him softly whispering into my ear as he...

"I've never been in here before. Nice place," he said, pulling me out of my fantasy.

"Huh? Oh…umm… Yeah." I fumbled to grab the CD he held out, and turned it over a few times looking for the barcode. _Dude, he is gonna think I'm a moron_. "Well, um... your total is $17.63."

He handed me a card, which I swiped as I bagged his purchase. Too tongue tied to say anything, I handed him his bag and his receipt. He smiled at me before he turned and headed out the glass double doors. He pulled a pair of awesome old school Ray-bans over his eyes as he walked outside. The sunshine hit his hair and it shimmered like a new penny.

_Le sigh..._

"Belllaaa's in luuust!" Alice's singsong voice snapped me out of my coma, and I turned to look at her smug face.

"You have no idea Alice. None. He just reduced me to a bumbling idiot!" I wailed, and the little imp just smirked at me, and turned to the next customer.

_Holy shit, who was that guy?_

**_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**So, there you go! First chapter. Whatdya think? Like it? Hate it? Want a tiny teaser for the intro of Edward in the next chapter? Drop us a note! We'd _loooove _****to hear what you think in a review! ;)**

**If you don't mind, we wouldn't mind reading the same reviews if you copy and paste your review to the other's post of the story. :D Here's the link to Nic's post! http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/s/5030931/1/On_the_Inside_of_Love**

**You know, with the real 'dots' and all.**

**Oh, and be gentle... It's our first time...**

**Nic's rec of the week: Are you reading I Hate You, Kiss Me by stacy . bumblebee? If not, run and read it! Its all kinds of WIN! http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/s/4805328/1/I_Hate_You_Kiss_Me**


	2. When It Comes

**OK, so… The response we've gotten to this is already overwhelming. To all the reviewers, and also the readers who have story alerted and/or added this to your fav's : THANK YOU!**

**Nic: Dawn, you ready?**

**Dawn: Oh, mah lord. YES. FINALLY.**

**Our thanks and mad, mad love to our betas! There aren't enough words, but we'll try!**

**Thanks and love to AHealthyAddiction, our Grammar Queen. She rocks our polka dotted socks (Dawn: and makes sense out of my ramblings)! MWAH, lady! What dance will it be this time?! **

**To Vixen1836, many, many thanks for the masterful job and all the pointers. We love you so hard, lady! **

**Well, grab a drink and settle in! It's time for EPOV, by way of the mucho funny Dawn.**

_**We don't own ANY of this… SMeyer does.**_

_**Nic: I own a pair of plaid high heels and an iPod that needs more tunes! (I'm open to suggestions… just sayin')**_

_**Dawn: I own a pair of brown, polka-dotted, peep-toed flats, and an iPod that loves me. (But I'm a music junkie, so I'm always lookin' for more tuneage!)**_

"**What I'm looking for cannot be sold to me. I wish they all would stop trying. 'Cause what I want and what I need, is and will always be free." -Incubus, "When It Comes"**

* * *

"Wake up, shit heeeaaad!" a voice boomed from the other side of my door, which rattled with the pounding of fists for about ten seconds.

I groaned angrily into my pillow, my eyes still refusing to open. My arm dangling over the edge of my bed automatically groped around for one of the tennis shoes I knew sat there. My hand finally gripped it and I flipped onto my back, chucking it at the door. It slammed against the wood as I yelled, "You're gonna break my door, asshole!"

My only answer was a throaty chuckle retreating down the hallway.

"Fucking Emmett," I muttered before throwing the covers off my body and stumbling to my bathroom to shower.

_How was someone like _that _a morning person? _I wondered to myself, completing what had turned out to be an almost daily ritual for me: older brother disturbs slumber in obnoxious manner, fling shoe at door, roll out of bed ruing the day said older brother was born, etc. I growled to myself again as I twisted the shower knob.

Don't get me wrong, I love Emmett. He's always looked after me. He'd been great at getting me into the whole 'college life' scene. I mean, for fuck's sake, he even talked me into pledging the fraternity he'd joined the year before I got to U-Dub, Sigma Alpha Epsilon. I didn't regret it. Not really, anyway... I'd made a lot of friends, had a shit-ton of good times on Greek Row, met a lot of fucktastic girls... And let's face it: if I hadn't joined SAE, my social life would be dead in the water. Partying and dating would have been relagated to the back burner with how focused I could get on my school work.

Then again, I do live with Emmett.

When presented with the choice of either living at the SAE house with my fraternal brothers or living with my jackass of a blood brother, for reasons that escaped me now, I had chosen the latter.

With Emmett being who he is, all of the brothers had the notion to accept me before I even showed up to the first rush event. James Roman, a good friend of Emmett's mostly because of their similarities in being 'life of the party' types, had taken me as his 'little brother.' It had been a helluva ride since, trying to balance that aspect of my life with my pre-med track.

I was wary at first, not quite sure how I'd fit in with the 'Greek life'. Emmett? Sure. He was a natural. He had a loud, easy-going personality. He made friends easily with his colorful sense of humor, then earned their respect when they realized he was actually an intelligent guy. Growing up with a brother like that, I'd developed more of an introverted and level-headed nature. To 'balance him out', so to speak.

But when I moved to Seattle, any semblance of a shell I had formed for myself through my grade school days had been forcefully chipped away at by Emmett and his... boisterous tendencies. I finally discovered the effect of the 'Cullen Charm,' as Em liked to call it. Which led me to the discovery of college girls.

I laughed quietly while smoothing my collar in the mirror over my sink, recalling a memory of Emmett as he prepared to leave for his first year of college.

_I sat at his desk chair while he finished grooming at his bathroom mirror, his car already loaded with boxes of his belongings. "You see, Ed," Emmett began, glancing at me in the mirror through the open door, "we've got this thing called the 'Cullen Charm'." He popped the collar of his Polo. "We're born with it." He flashed a wink and a dimpled smile at his reflection. "And the ladies can't resist it." _

I smiled to myself while shutting off my bathroom light, remembering his warnings not to 'over-do' it.

"'_Cause some chicks just can't handle it," he said. "Besides, you don't want to go wasting it on all the wrong ones." _

Finally donning my usual button-down and jeans, I tied on a pair of new Adidas and grabbed my bag before heading downstairs to the kitchen. My style was something I didn't allow Emmett to affect, even though he consistently claimed I was some kind of 'Emo Douchenozzle' because I rarely wore the typical Polo's and carried around a messenger bag.

Upon reaching the kitchen, my footsteps faltered at the sight of three plates of food set out on the table piled high with scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. I looked questioningly at Emmett, who was pulling a carton of orange juice out of the fridge. He opened his mouth to say something, but a soft yet strong voice interrupted from behind me.

"Don't get used to it," the tall, gorgeous blond said with a smirk as she stepped around me, placing a sound smack on my ass. She sauntered up to Emmett, wrapping one arm around his waist, the other snaking up his chest. She planted a long kiss on his upturned lips before turning back to me. "What?" she asked, taking in my quirked eyebrow.

There was nothing out of the ordinary about arriving downstairs to see a smokin'-hot blond wrapped comfortably around my brother in our kitchen. Rosalie was, after all, his girlfriend. They had been together since shortly after meeting their freshman year while rushing for the fraternity and sorority next door to each other. What was unusual was the meal sitting on the table that had obviously arrived there without me preparing it myself. As long as Em and I had lived here and Rosalie had been staying over, I'd never known the two of them to put effort into much else in the kitchen besides a frozen meal or mac and cheese. That, and other illicit activities I'd rather not think about...

"Not that this isn't a lovely surprise..." I treaded carefully, "but since when do you make us breakfast? Or anything at all, for that matter?" I placed my bag on the counter before heading to the nook and taking a seat before one of the plates.

Rosalie grinned up at Emmett, who still had a self-satisfied smirk in place. I automatically questioned my desire to know the reason.

Emmett's dark blue eyes glinted. "Rose and I had a deal that she'd fix us a nice breakfast if I could break my record for how many times I could make her c-..."

"Never mind!" I interrupted loudly before he could finish. He barked out a laugh as Rosalie playfully smacked his chest. He swatted her on the ass in return before they both joined me at the table. "Thanks, Rose," I murmured. I shoveled a forkful of the scrambled eggs into my mouth, struggling to force out the images that had sprung into my mind.

"No problem. The pleasure was all mine," she drawled. I rolled my eyes as she tenderly stroked my brother's arm, sipping a glass of orange juice. He grinned at her before shoving a piece of bacon in his mouth with a wink.

I needed no more reminders of my brother's active sex life. I had enough just seeing their casual interactions, let alone the fact that, even though his bedroom was clear on the other side of our modest three bedroom home, I was still privy to the fact that Rose is quite the... vocalist. I wouldn't put up with that shit, but I just couldn't blame him for wanting to screw her brains out as often as possible--Rosalie was the epitome of the blond bombshell. She was tall with long, naturally wavy blonde hair. Despite Seattle's rainy disposition, she had a nice tan. Steel gray eyes and a killer rack completed the package. I'd decided that, although she was most men's fantasy, she was totally not my type.

Sure, I'd gone the Rosalie route before, looks-wise. You know, the generically hot sorority type. As soon as I'd become an SAE I'd had all sorts of those types throwing themselves at me. It'd been nice at first, but I quickly realized a trend. All of them had been attractive by most average guy's standards. With the ones who I'd progressed into relationships with, while they would all be fairly decent lays, they'd left me feeling sort of…empty. Each short-lived, bland 'relationship' blended right into the next, lacking anything of real substance. I couldn't bring myself to really become serious with any of those girls.

Tanya had come the closest to really meaning something to me, but that had only lasted four months. I eventually felt uncomfortable in the relationship and came to the realization that in the time since I'd met her, she hadn't come to truly know me at all. She never bothered to find out why I wanted to be a doctor like my father, never really understood my musical tastes, and never quite warmed up to my brother. Plus, she ended up being needy as all hell. Since being in a fraternity basically did all the work for my social life that I needed, I didn't really make time outside of preparing for my courses to go looking for companionship elsewhere.

Sometimes considerations flickered through my head, always centered around the suspicion that everything might be just a little too easy going for me. I didn't have to keep up with a job to cover my rent—Mom and Dad had bought our house the month after I got accepted to the University of Washington. They even took care of the furnishing and utilities expenses, offering to let the financial situation stay that way with the understanding that they expected nothing but the best results from our studies. My tuition was taken care of by scholarships and a little money out-of-pocket—no debt accruing there. I didn't have to fret over fitting in and making friends in a new place—Emmett's existence alone had pretty much taken care of that. No worries over finding girls to... _assuage_ my needs. The girls found me. Even if, for the large part, the needs they fulfilled were purely physical.

I suppose that may have been why I was so disgruntled with the relationship aspect of my life. Everything else basically fell right into my lap, but this one thing—this whole... _love _business—completely fucking eluded me.

I stole glances at Emmett and Rose throughout the meal, wondering how the lucky bear of a bastard had done it. Because as much as they seemed only to be complete horndogs for each other, it took no effort at all to see the love there. To _feel_ it, just by being in their presence. Then again, Rose had _never_ made it 'easy' on Emmett. He dogged her footsteps like a lovesick puppy for weeks before she even deigned to show a shred of real interest in return.

I remembered Emmett calling me one weekend at the start of my senior year of high school. He had talked about this "hot-ass blond" who told him to "screw off." She called him a "brainless bastard just looking for some big-boobed Barbie to boink."

He was half in love with her already.

The fact that she didn't immediately turn into putty in his hands did nothing but intrigue him; Em liked the ones he had to work for. He almost shit himself when he discovered the "hot ass blond" was actually an "intelligent, hot ass blond." She was an Industrial and Systems Engineering major, and being a Mechanical Engineering major himself they wound up running into each other a lot on campus, much to Rose's initial chagrin. But when she finally realized the brainless bastard could in fact think with more than one head, it was practically a sealed deal. They were just too perfect for one another. With his broad, muscled frame, short, curly brown hair, and dimpled smile, they looked like the quintessential Star Football Player/Head Cheerleader duo.

But Emmett had done it. He'd found someone that complimented him in almost every aspect, including intellectually. And he'd somehow managed to accomplish that without even having to remove himself from the world of surface pleasantry that is the Greek system most of the time.

With a small smile, I shook my head and put a stop to my musings. Hell, if this goofy tool can do it...

A plateful of surprisingly edible breakfast food and four triggers to my gag reflex later (both thanks to Rose and Em), I said my thanks and was out the door, ready to kick off another week.

*****************************************

A short drive later, I pulled into the parking lot across from the Husky Union Building on campus, or rather, the HUB. Hooking my messenger bag over my shoulder, I headed in the direction of Frosh Pond, being able to see the waters of Drumheller Fountain at its center shooting several feet over the heads of other students swarming the campus.

Before I could reach my destination I glimpsed James, my 'big brother,' through the streams of people meandering in different directions. Propped up against a cherry blossom tree, his eyes were sweeping the faces passing by. At one point, I thought he met my gaze as I made my way over to him to say hello, but they kept roaming. A second later, his eyes widened slightly before narrowing with intent. A mischievous grin spread across his face—he'd obviously found his target. And judging by the look on his face, this one was obviously graced with tits and ass. I'd seen _that_ look before... I followed his line of sight towards the parking lot beside the Business building, finally landing on... _Oh_.

A rather attractive brunette was making her way in James' direction. _And who is_ this_?_ I let my eyes roam over her figure—slender, but not without curves, which were nicely accentuated by her blue blouse and dark jeans.

Damn, did these girls know how to pick their jeans.

I let my gaze trace the curve of her backside and down her legs to the navy blue heels on her feet. _Shit, hot shoes._

As I was busy... completing my assessment, the mystery girl's steps had faltered, finally noticing James a few feet away from her. _Hmmm, interesting._ She didn't exactly look pleased to see him. This surprised me.

Even though James had a girlfriend, it was clear that he wasn't afraid to flirt and fling his charm at unsuspecting girls. And they usually dug that shit, too. James could be an ass, but damn if he wasn't a smooth talker. For the most part, his girlfriend Victoria didn't really seem to give a rat's ass. I'd only ever seen her get _really_ riled up when it appeared she sensed some actual competition. She mostly just enjoyed being seen on James' arm. They were both from good money, and let's face it—they made a pretty good looking couple. James with his short, blond hair and blue eyes, Victoria with her flaming red hair and devil's smile. They were a great social match, too. She was a Vice President of the Kappa Deltas, the biggest sorority on campus, and he was President of our house, the biggest fraternity.

I began to grow curious as to how James even knew this girl. James rarely socialized with anyone outside of the Greek system, and I was almost positive I'd recognize _this_ girl if I'd seen her on Greek Row before. Or anywhere else for that matter.

I observed them for a few moments. James appeared to be smug at first, and I assumed he was reeling off what could have been any number of his supposed 'panty-dropping' lines. However, it soon became apparent that there would clearly be no panties dropping here today. She remained standoffish, holding herself somewhat regally. She seemed to be trying to get away from him when something he said made her stop and spin quickly to look back at him. Her jaw was clenched, and even from where I was, I could see a spark light her glare. She was not pleased.

_Wonder what that's all about..._

Just as I was about to get closer to utilize my mad eavesdropping skills, a dark look covered James' features. He practically spat a retort to something the mystery girl had said. He then quickly turned and stalked away in the opposite direction. I almost called out to him, wanting to ask about a dozen questions… all of them centering on this beauty I didn't recognize.

I glanced around and noticed their exchange had caught the attention of a few other passersby. Good thing, or I might have seemed like some sort of creep the way I was ogling Mystery Girl. Okay, I could probably still come off as a creep with how hard I was staring_..._

I casually continued towards the Biology building while still surreptitiously stealing glances in her direction. She seemed rooted to the spot for a single moment once James had tromped off, scowling at his retreating form. I almost snickered at the look on her face. Not being on the receiving end of that glare, I thought she looked rather... adorable.

_God, who the hell _is _she?! _

She hitchedher bag on her shoulder and headed towards the Business building, anger clearly marking her steps. I resigned myself to just asking James about her when I saw him next. I started to walk toward my next class, but before I could take more than three steps my path was obscured by an image of blindingly white teeth set in a fake-n-bake tan.

_Aw, hell._

"Hi, Eddie," Jane cooed and simpered. I inwardly cringed at that stupid shortened version of my name before muttering a hello. Jane was a devout lemming of Victoria. Wherever Victoria was, Jane was sure to be shadowing. I took a cursory glance around, wondering if Victoria was close by and had witnessed the debacle featuring her own boyfriend and the random girl. Not spotting her, I instead focused on searching out an escape route. I attempted to sidestep the little gymnast of a lady.

Jane had been all up on my junk for the past two years... or at least she'd certainly tried. I'd attempted the whole, 'let her down gently' thing, because I'm not really the asshole to behave otherwise.

And let's be real, as much as she tried to pull off the whole 'sweet' thing, I refused to be taken in. Suffice it to say... she kind of scared me. She was like a little woodland sprite lurking in the shadows. But not of the cute and frolicsome persuasion. She was more the, seems-innocent-so-you-step-closer-to-take-a-looksie-but-turns-out-to-be-fucking-demented-and-slits-your-throat kind of sprite.

Yeah. Creepy.

Before I could get too far, Jane laid a hand on my upper arm, a painfully wide smile on her face. I involuntarily shuddered again; even her sycophantic grin made my skin crawl. "How are you, Eddie? I haven't seen you around lately." She jutted out her bottom lip.

"I'm good, thanks. Been busy. Maybe I'll see you around later," I answered shortly, trying to drop a hint. I started walking again.

"Ohmigod," she continued, walking alongside me, "did you see James and that girl back there? I can't believe he still talks to her."

She was trying to generate a conversation to keep my attention on her, and I'll be damned if it wasn't going to work.

My steps automatically slowed. Could she actually know something about Mystery Girl? And what did she mean, "still talks to her"?

A spark of excitement began to grown in my stomach at the prospect of garnering some information. "So who-" I tried to edge in a question but Jane kept right on talking.

"I mean, did you _see _what she was wearing? What was with that fugly grandma sweater?" Jane shuddered.

Well, _I _had thought it looked good on her. Unique and feminine. Not played-out like the damn pink NorthFace jacket Jane was sporting now. I scoffed to myself while eying her out of the corner of my eye, feeling surprisingly annoyed and defensive.

"Victoria is going to _flip her shit_ when I tell her he's been chatting it up with _that _weirdo again." _And what's this? Mystery Girl is actually worthy of a reaction from Victoria? _

I suppose it made sense. For one, that girl was beautiful. For two, I'd never seen ever-so-cool James react so heatedly to what appeared to be a rejection. James was definitely a, "Well, it's your loss," type of guy. And he usually truly believed it.

Undeterred, Jane continued to ramble like a damn train barreling down the tracks. So I settled on giving non-committal grunts appropriately in the almost-pauses and putting an extra pep in my step when I realized I'd never even be able to ask a single question. I eventually veered off the pedestrian towards the Biology building, not even remembering to bid Jane adieu until her high-pitched voice cut into my thoughts.

"Okay, bye, Eddie! I'll see you later! It was def nice talking to you!" _You mean talking _at_ me._

I yanked open one of the glass doors with a relieved sigh and lightly jogged the rest of the way to my class, thankful that I wasn't late enough to warrant being locked outside.

As I sat through my biochemistry lecture, my mind kept returning to the Mystery Girl. How could I bring her up in a casual conversation with James?

"Hey, so I saw this chick totally shut you down in the middle of campus today..."

Yeah, _that _would be sure to go over well. And why did this matter so much anyway? She was one of dozens of other moderately attractive girls I saw roaming the campus on any given day. Hell, she was one of dozens of moderately attractive girls I saw talking just to James on any given day.

But this girl... she was way more than 'moderately attractive' to me. Her unaffected beauty and unique style intrigued me... coupled with her seeming 'take no shit' stance with James? There was obviously something worth knowing there.

I was practically begging for a more interesting lecture to derail my train of thought when I started remembering that look of fire in her eyes. Because although I may not have known who she was, that sure as hell wasn't going to stop me from becoming _real_ familiar with her in my mind.

It was almost as if not yet knowing the details of her personality granted my imagination permission to take certain... _liberties_ with her body...

Sliding that blouse up to reveal the smooth, ivory skin of her stomach... a little higher to examine what I'm sure would be a fantastic rack.

How in the hell had I neglected to check that shit out? _Damn... _Okay, let's skip to the part where there are less clothes... _Ahh._

Mystery Girl bent slightly over the desk that was at the front of the room, clad in nothing but those damn Fuck Me heels, glancing over her shoulder at me with a grin.

_Shit. _Why was I trying to give myself wood in the middle of class again?

The way the heels would define the muscles in her legs and make her ass stick out a little bit... _Hmmm... _Me taking Mystery Girl on the professor's desk with those heel-clad feet up on my shoulders....

_Fuck. Okay, gotta quit this shit now._

I tried to inconspicuously adjust myself in my jeans. _Jesus, when did I become such a pervert?_ Luckily, I tended to stick to desks at the back of the classroom.

By the grace of God, I managed to pull my focus back to the professor droning on at the front of the classroom, focusing my eyes away from his desk and only occasionally slipping back into my MG-induced fantasies. When the end of the period arrived, I quickly snatched up my notebook and bag and exited the classroom, ever thankful for my untucked button-down.

I stepped outside the building and took in a deep breath, as if that would wash away the thoughts that had been left to simmer in my poor brain. I turned to head towards the Pond again.

I had about thirty minutes to kill before my next class, so I figured I'd enjoy the rare sunshine. I noted I was not the only one who had this idea, as there were several other revelers spotting the benches as well as the wide, stone edge of the fountain. I plopped down onto a vacant bench, setting my bag beside me and stretching my arms out over its back. I allowed my head to tilt back. When I closed my eyes, instead of a peaceful blankness my mind was met with more images of Mystery Girl. I immediately opened them back up.

_Seriously. I don't even know her. This is ridicu—... _

My mind went blank as my eyes were caught by a figure making its way towards the fountain. _You have got to be kidding me_. I blinked a few times just in case. _Nope, still there._

Sure enough, it was her—_M mother-effing G_, settling into a spot on the ledge of the Pond, just a little to my right. She sat with one foot resting on the ground and the other bent up on the stone, her body angled towards me. She grabbed an iPod and a book from her messenger bag then set it down by her feet. As she straightened up, my breath almost caught.

_Wow, she really is kind of beautiful_.

My eyes swept over her features and I took a moment to admire the subtle hint of a dark red highlighted in her mahogany tresses by the sun overhead. _Screw waiting to ask James_, I thought to myself and made to stand to walk over to her.

Just then, she leaned over once more to grab a pair of sunglasses from her bag, and her top dipped along with her. I was coaching myself to be charming and gentleman-like when I introduced myself to this girl… but when she bent over, my eyes shot straight down her blouse and settled on a magnificent set of glory encased in what appeared to be a lace bra matching the deep blue details of her treacherous top.

_Shit_.

I leaned right back onto the bench, drawing one leg up to rest on my knee; I was in no condition to stand at the moment. I closed my eyes again and conjured up as many... deflating thoughts as I could. It took a while.

When I finally opened my eyes again, I was startled to find she was hastily packing things away. _Shit, no! Not yet! Damn, how long did I take? _In a near-panic, I shot off my bench, forcing myself to slow my steps as I made my way closer to her. She had turned in the other direction and was busy fumbling with the latch on her bag as she stood.

"Um, excuse me, do you happen to know the time?" I croaked out. _What the fuck, Ed? Is that really all you've got? And when in the hell has Edward Cullen ever _croaked_? _

I mentally kicked myself in the ass over the fact that I hadn't thought of a _single_ thing to say to this girl. _But when has that ever mattered? _The Cullen Charm usually flowed pretty effortlessly from these pouty lips when I wanted it to. And honestly, I rarely had to do much approaching of my own.

"Ten forty-three," she answered politely, not looking up. She began to walk away from me.

_But—wait, what? _

"Thanks!" I called out as she was moving further away, hoping she'd at least turn around for a glance. _Say something MORE, you jack ass! _All I got was a casual wave in acknowledgment over her shoulder. Surely she would have stayed if she'd just looked at me at least once.

_Wow, where did this self-assured asshole come from? _

My mind slowly stopped scrambling for more as I realized she was getting too far away for it not to result in me awkwardly shouting or running after her. I forced myself to believe that it was better for me to wait to ask James about her instead, thus giving myself time to find my fucking brain again.

I shook my head a little, finally becoming conscious of the fact that there were more moving bodies on campus as the next class period was about to start. I tried not to be obvious as I watched until her form melted into the streams of people around her. Realizing in my haste to talk to MG that I had left my bag, I finally turned back to the bench to retrieve it before moving on with my day.

***************************************

I glanced down at my watch as I made the trek back to my car after finishing with my Biochem lab, my third and final class of the day. It was only 3:30; this was usually the time I took to meet up with some of my frat brothers at one of the campus gyms to play a couple pick-up games of basketball. But today... _meh._ I wasn't really in the mindset to go horsing around with a bunch of sweaty dickheads.

I usually reserved Tuesdays and Thursdays for meeting another friend of mine at a small coffee shop a couple miles from campus. But right now, I craved its relaxing atmosphere. I climbed into my Volvo and made my way to the familiar destination.

I parked in a lot a couple of blocks away from The Daily Grind, opting for a short walk that would take me through the park that bordered it. The day had remained surprisingly sunny, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to take advantage of that.

The walk led me to the cafe from the opposite direction of the path I was used to traveling. I saw the familiar mug-shaped sign ahead of me, just beyond the circular one of the over-sized record marking the entrance for the music store next door, Trax. I'd often contemplated dropping in to look for the more obscure albums by artists I favored. It appeared to be a place of the off-the-beaten path variety.

I peeked in to Trax's store window, noting the customers milling the aisles and waiting in line with their purchases. _I wonder if they have that old Kings of L-_

The cashier popped back up from behind the counter, where she had apparently bent to retrieve something. I nearly choked on my tongue when I realized who it was.

_How...How is this possible?_ I pushed my sunglasses up to rest on top of my head and gawked through the window.

After a day of missed notes due to wandering thoughts and unintentionally ignoring professors with questions directed at me, there was no way I could mistake the girl that had starred in my over-active imagination through it all. _MG. Huh. _

A strange excitement shot through me and I had to pause for a moment to keep myself from yanking the door off its hinges in my haste to get inside. As if she would disappear if I didn't get in there fast enough.

_Really. Get a hold of yourself._

I reached out to grasp the handle of one of the glass doors, satisfied when I was greeted with a light tinkling of the bell over the door and not the shattering of the door itself. My eyes immediately went to hers, almost surprised to find her staring at me already. Her slightly dazed expression didn't help me stop the small smile from curling my lips. _Finally, it's not just me seeing you. _

I didn't realize how awkward it must have been for me to be just standing inside the door, staring at her, until she broke her gaze away, effectively snapping me out of my stupor. _What am I doing in here again? Right. Music. _

I made my way down the aisle in front of me, my eyes roaming the CDs in front of me. I only vaguely registered their titles as my focus was on my peripheral vision.

I could tell she was watching me, could practically feel her eyes as they followed me. When a customer stepped up to the counter and demanded her attention, I allowed myself to look at her again. I lost myself in admiring her features and forgot to look away when she finished with the woman, meeting her gaze once again. Her face immediately reddened and she turned her head away.

_How refreshing. A girl who blushes. _At that moment, a short, dark-haired girl emerged from the back of the store. She grinned and said something to Mystery Girl that made her face darken in color, something about a 'fire engine impersonation.' _Ha, seems appropriate enough._

I went back to pretending to look for a CD, feeling a little guilty that I may have added to her discomfort. I heard the phone ring and was hoping the other store worker would take the call and possibly disappear again so that I could approach the counter. When she actually did, I said a small prayer in thanks to the Trax deities.

I snagged the first CD my fingers touched and made my way to the counter. MG was watching her co-worker disappear with what looked like relief on her face. I stepped up to the register at the same moment she turned back around.

Her face paled momentarily as she let out a surprised, "Oh!"

_Huh. I was just about to say the same thing._ My mind went completely blank. I had thought she was beautiful when I'd seen her on campus earlier in the day. But seeing her up close?

She was _stunning_.

From here, I could note the exact fairness of her clear skin. _I wonder how smooth it must feel… _I gripped the CD in my hand tighter, barely restraining myself from reaching out to stroke her cheek, which was currently turning a delicate shade of pink. My eyes flickered down to her lips, which were still parted in silent surprise. I groaned internally, noting their fullness. _Don't go there, don't go there…_ Not wanting to embarrass myself, I snapped my gaze back up. I was immediately trapped by a pair of warm, expressive, doe eyes. _I've never known brown eyes to be so… intense? Intriguing? Wonderful. _For one crazy moment, I inexplicably thought of the comforting mugs of hot chocolate my mother used to make for Emmett and me as kids.

She recovered from her surprise more quickly than I could, clearing her throat slightly before finally speaking. "Find everything alright?" As soon as she asked it, a tiny grimace flashed across her features.

I could barely find my voice to answer. "I did." _Yeah, really cued the Cullen Charm there. _ Her face flushed a deeper shade. _Why is she so embarrassed? _I was having a hard time understanding her facial expressions, but the blush was telling. I felt an odd yearning to just make her feel more comfortable.

"I've never been in here before. Nice place," I offered. Real _smooth talkin', Ed. In fact, why don't you go ahead and throw in a, "What's your sign?" Or how about, "Do you come here often?" _

"Huh? Oh…um… Yeah." _Okay, I wouldn't know what the hell to say to that either. Seriously. _What happened to my usual confidence? What happened to Mr. Smooth Operator?

She took the CD from the hand I still had stupidly extended in front of me. She seemed in a hurry to ring me up. I shifted on my feet awkwardly, trying to think of another stellar conversation-starter.

"Well, um… your total is $17.63." I grabbed the wallet from my back pocket, fumbling to extract my debit card. I handed it to her as my brain scrambled to formulate sentences.

She swiped my card and before my thought process could go anywhere productive, she was handing my bag over. _What did I even just buy?_

I swallowed, wanting to open my mouth and say something more, but all I could manage was what must have been an awkward smile. _I guess I'll just be updating my music collection again in the near future. _I gave an inward sigh of defeat before forcing myself to turn away.

Pulling my sunglasses back down over my eyes before stepping back outside, I turned right to head back to my car, not much caring for coffee anymore.

*****************************************

Each day for the rest of the week, I made sure my path to my classes brought me by the Pond; I told myself it was to enjoy the soothing qualities of the water. I scoured the faces of every person I passed; I told myself I was just avoiding more run-ins with Jane. When I couldn't make it to The Daily Grind at all on Tuesday or Thursday, I told myself I was upset because the friend I met there was one of the few I interacted with whose intellectual company I enjoyed.

But…really? Who the hell was I kidding?

I had been mentally absent from all of my courses since Monday, and even Em and Rose were noticing that I was acting strangely at home. I think perhaps I was becoming a little snippier when in the presence of the two of them. Witnessing their interactions seemed to be irritating me more than it had in the past. I couldn't even pretend to take on a cool nonchalance anymore.

So when Emmett begged me to go out to a bar with him and Rose that Friday (or rather, threatened me to within an inch of my life if I made him go out with her and Tanya on his own), I tried not to resist too much. Maybe a long night of consuming a copious amount of alcohol and having scantily clad girls inflating my ego would do me a bit of good.

Why was it turning out to be so hard to forget someone I didn't even know?

* * *

**So, thoughts? Questions? Favorite lines? We'd love to hear them all, drop us a line via the review box****, and we'll holla back! Perhaps we'll have a teaser from the next chapter worked up… ;)**

**Dawn's rec of the week: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S! A lovely bit o' collaborative magic by ProfMom72 and HMonster4. You can find it here: ****http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/s/4864973/1/Breakfast_at_Tiffanys**

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**Also, this story has had a thread started for it over on Twilighted. Thank you, ladies… there aren't words 3 If you are interested, stop by and say hello! The people there are AWESOME, and there were extra teases given there along with other fun stuff!**

******http://www(DOTtwilighted(DOT)?f=44&t=3807**


	3. Loser Olympics

**It's that time again. Thanks to everyone who took the time to review, or add us to you alerts or favorite lists. Y'all make our day brighter. **

**As always, mad props to our betas, AHealthyAddiction and Vixen1836. You ladies are truly awesome, and we love you a whole lot! Drinks are on us!**

**_Unfortunately, we don't own ANY of this. If we did, however, own Edward… whoo boy..._**

**_Nic: I own a set of cute, pink luggage and B&BW Japanese Cherry Blossom lotion. _**

**_Dawn: I own lots of mismatched luggage and B&BW Wild Honeysuckle body lotion._**

**Music for this chapter: Stuttering, Ben's Brother; Brass In Pocket, The Pretenders; A Mistake, Fiona Apple; Everybody Here Wants you, Jeff Buckley**

_**I say, it's the fire in my eyes, and the flash of my teeth, the swing in my waist, and the joy in my feet.  
I'm a woman phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, that's me. *****Maya Angelou***_

* * *

It was slow for a Friday. Normally Trax would have been bustling, but the weather was still nice, and people were enjoying that instead. Bored, I let my mind wander.

For the rest of the week my mind was stuck onthe mysteriously yummy stranger that I'd drooled over earlier this week at work, I couldn't get him out of my head. He looked to be about my age, but I'd not seen him around campus before. One thing was for sure, I kept my eyes peeled for him now. This was a new, disturbingly shocking habit for me. Normally, I kept an eye out for James or Victoria, hoping to avoid them. Now, I was on the lookout for a tall, beautiful man with hair the color of a shiny new penny. Any time I saw even a flash of red hair, my eyes immediately sought him out with no results. Each day, I grew more disappointed. Apparently, Lady Luck wasn't on my side._ Fickle Bitch._

I still thought of him more than I should have though. I'd certainly never seen him around campus. I would remember_ that_ face. Then again, I had been relegated to the library during most of my free time this week and before then; I was just as dedicated to my studies. Sometimes, working towards an English degree was no fun, but I loved books. It had seemed to be an easy conclusion when I'd gotten to school to pick English as my major. But even now, as I tried to work on a paper that I had due on Monday in between customers, I could only think of the opportunities I was missing. Not much chance to look for him while I was stuck researching my paper on Milton's "Paradise Lost". So here I was, with no clue how to find him again, and completely unable to get him off my mind.

I really hoped to see him again. Hopefully this time I could come off as a bit more normal and not some stuttering, blushing creep.

The term had just started though, so perhaps he was a new transfer, or maybe I was just completely wrong about the assumption that he was a student here. That was possible.

I certainly wasn't wrong about the fact that I'd caught him checking me out. Under normal circumstances I would have flirted while I rang him up, but I was a bit too stunned for coherent thought, let alone flirting.

I was so flustered by him. No, scratch that; _flustered_ didn't cover it. I was stupefied. Yep, Lady Luck was no friend of mine.

Case in point: I should have at least looked at the debit card that he handed me, so I could find out his name. Too bad Alice had this junky old system. It had come along with the purchase of the store, and she had yet to replace it. A more modern one would have given me the information I wanted. Maybe if I knew his name, I could find him and stalk him on Facebook or something. But, no, I had to blush and fumble like an idiot. I probably came off like a gigantic loser. No wonder he was in such a hurry to get out of the store

I had mentally scolded myself for the blush too. I'd been cursed for as long as I could remember with the very embarrassing trait of bright red cheeks. Lately it seemed to have been getting better, but I just couldn't stop it that afternoon, with him.

Then again, perhaps I had gotten so comfortable around my group of friends that they weren't as capable of embarrassing me now. Hell, Alice's revolving door of train wreck dates and the resulting highly smutty stories alone should have cured me of the blush forever.

Ahh, Alice. My adorable best friend had some definite opposite sex issues.

Alice had a long line of traits that I found admirable: her confidence and determination, her fierce individuality, her complete disregard for what anyone thought of her and her ability to make friends with just about anyone she came into contact with. Her most glaring character flaw, unfortunately, was that she could not, for the life of her, find a decent guy.

A perfect example was her latest catastrophe, Tyler. He was the one who had called her earlier this week for a ride to work.

Tyler was the embodiment of her flaw: Good looking guy, in that scruffy "I just rolled out of bed and threw on whatever was lying around" sort of way. He was, for all intents and purposes, a loser. She'd been dating him... if you could call it that… for about a month. He'd had five jobs during that time. There was always some "reason" or another that they didn't work out for him; of course it was never something he did. Like the time he swore that his boss had it out for him; it wasn't his fault that he fell asleep during the night shift at the gas station…

He didn't have a working vehicle either and I wasn't actually sure how he'd come up from his pot induced haze long enough to procure himself a drivers license anyway. He did have an old school van, on blocks, in his driveway. _Classy!_ It obviously wasn't going anywhere, so he begged Alice to take him to and from work, to his dealers place to score, to the gas station so he could grab a soda or bag of chips if he had the munchies... wherever.

I secretly had someone in mind for her, when she finally decided to grow up. He was a nice, respectable guy that came into Trax a couple of times a week. You could tell he had a thing for Alice, but that he was maybe too shy to say anything. The way he stared after her just made me swoon!

He was really nice too. He often kept me company when he stopped in. He would stand at my register and talk about any subject that came up. I really enjoyed talking to him; I was impressed that he could hold an actual intellectual conversation, unlike most guys I knew. He was good at advice too- I'd told him all about James' ( though I had never brought his actual name up) constant heckling and general douche baggery, and he always lent me a sympathetic ear, or made me feel better on days after a particularly brutal run in.

Put plain and simply, he struck me as a rare breed of 'Good Guy'.

But I wouldn't try to set her up with him until she proved she was ready for a grown up relationship. He was too nice of a guy to be run through the "Alice Wringer".

Thankfully, I could tell she was already getting tired of Tyler. She always did. The frustrated retort she'd had for him Monday on the phone had been a dead giveaway. Hell, good sex may have had a way of disguising the flaws for a little while, but they always came out in the end. She'd stopped raving about the sex by last Thursday and my bet was that he'd be gone by next week.

_It's been nice knowing ya, Tyler. _

I gave him my mental wave goodbye as a customer approached the counter. Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I rang her out and then looked around the store.

I rang up customers here and there for the remainder of my shift, and worked on my paper when there was nothing else to do. Alice came up about a half an hour before I was due to leave, and offered to let me leave early.

Like I'd pass that up! I grabbed my things, and shot a thank you over my shoulder as I headed towards the glass double doors of the exit.

Throwing my bag into my truck, I started towards home. The drive wasn't very long, and before I knew it I was turning onto our street and into our driveway. _Ahh, Home Sweet Home._ I was looking forward to a night in. I had big plans to get as much of that paper done as I could, and I also had laundry that needed to be sorted.

I loved our place. It had been Alice's grandmothers, and she left it to her when she passed away. It wasn't much; it was all one level, with a smallish kitchen, a comfy living room, and two bedrooms. Most importantly, it had two bathrooms, and that was a necessity for us. Alice and I trying to get ready to go out together, if we had to share, would have been absolutely catastrophic. I could just imagine trying to maneuver around the stacks of clothes she threw around, or attempting to procure an inch of counter space for my things amidst the clutter of every beauty product imaginable that she swore by which cluttered her bathroom counter. It was also easier to avoid makeover time this way.

Before moving in with Alice, I'd stayed with Angela, who had wanted to move in with her boyfriend Ben, but had kindly stayed through the last semester of my sophomore year because she hadn't wanted to leave me to dorm mate hell.

When the house became hers, Alice had immediately asked me to move in with her**.** We'd moved in shortly before term started up. Alice had gone to town on making it "ours." The walls were all bright colors, and the furniture was fun. Bright art prints, some that Alice had done herself, covered the walls. There was always a happy feel about the place.

Where the rest of the house was energetic, my room was calm. The walls were painted a soft green, which reminded me of home, and the cream colored comforter had greens and soft pinks woven in pretty patterns. I had one long dresser with a mirror that matched the bed frame, and a small side table that completed the set. My desk and a chair were the only other furniture in the room_._ I kept it clean in here; I didn't like clutter where I slept.

I threw my bags on the bed and powered up my laptop at my desk, changed into a pair of silky pajama pants, and a black tank and pulled my hair into a messy bun, ready to study. I had just sat down at my desk to start working when my cell buzzed from my bag. I flipped it open to see a text from Jakey.

**Bells -  
where are you?  
J  
**  
Feeling guilty, I suddenly remembered then that I had forgotten to call him earlier this week. My mind flooded with memories of silly times we'd had growing up as children as I texted him back.

**Jakey -  
at home, doing some work. U?  
B  
**  
I waited for him to text back or maybe even call, but he never did. I got a little upset, thinking he might have been mad at me. I turned back to my work, promising myself I'd make it up to him later. I'd been a bad friend lately, and I felt bad about it. It was eerily quiet in the house; I opened my iTunes catalog and selected a playlist of fun 80's tunes. I lost myself in the music as I researched my paper. I was halfway through my playlist and was hardcore grooving to the music when an off-key voice abruptly rang out behind me. I screamed, startled.

"Are you really listening to that crap?"

I whirled in my chair, and saw who it was. Jumping up and making my way over to Jakey, who had snuck up behind me, I flashed an innocent smile before taking out my annoyances on him

"What the" _smack _"hell are you" _smack _"doing?" I beat the crap out of his arm for a few seconds and then tried to control my breathing. I finally backed off. "You scared me, you… you… Jackass!"

"Chill, Bells." He grinned. "I came over to see you, and heard the music and figured you wouldn't hear the knock, so I let myself in." He had his goofy look on his face, like he just knew I wouldn't find his explanation untruthful.

Damnit, he was right.

I looked at him then, really seeing him. Jakey had grown up a lot this year. Gone were the crazy mismatched clothes; apparently he was more of a T-shirt and jeans man now. He still wore those ridiculous white shoes though. I didn't get it. They looked like they were ready to fall apart at the seams, but still he clung to them. Said they were "part of his charm", which always made me shake my head. I realized that my perusal of his appearance had bordered on space-out territory, so I snapped back to the moment.

"That's fine, Jakey. I gave you a key for a reason. Did you need something?" I was snarking at him now, falling into our old, familiar pattern with ease.

"Just came by to hang out with my best girl." He was _such _a suck up when he didn't want me to be mad at him. I sighed as I walked over to my laptop to save my progress. Well, if he wanted some best friend time, he could help with laundry or something.

"So, whatcha been up to Jakey?"

He pulled a face at me, hating the nickname. "I told you about that Bells, seriously, can we move past the silly name?"

"Nope, don't think we can." I said, sticking my tongue out at him. His reluctance to my calling him "Jakey" was a new development. He said it made him feel like a kid, but I couldn't help it; it was our thing.

"Sure, sure." He said, rather grumpily, but he let it drop. He knew there would be no swaying me.

"Anyway, what's on the agenda for tonight?" he asked, poking me in the side until I smacked him again.

"Well," I said, with an innocent grin on my face "tonight is going to be a fun time… I have laundry to do!" He rolled his eyes at that, but settled in to help anyway.

I grabbed a few baskets, and we headed to the living room. As I sorted my clothes, we watched bad sitcoms on the T.V. chatting about his classes, and his annoying dorm mate.

Jakey hadn't been as lucky as I was in the dorm mate lottery. His roomy had a serious addiction to World of Warcraft. I had dubbed him "Stinky". He would rather sit at his computer and level up his character than participate in normal tasks like, oh, showering or brushing his teeth. I once again tried to get my poor friend to request a change with the housing office, but Jakey insisted that as long as he stocked up on air freshener and sat down wind, it wasn't awful. I wasn't too sure about that.

We were almost finished with the sorting when I heard Alice's car in the driveway. She bounded into the house, calling out for me.

"Bella c'mon lets..." She noticed Jakey and stopped. "Oh, hey kid, what's up?" Alice and Jakey had a love/hate relationship. She loved to tease him about his age, and he hated it. I saw the hackles start to rise, and settled in for a good show.

"Nothing much, old lady. Just hanging out with Bells." Ooh, she hated when he called her old lady...

"Oh, well, that's nice," she said dismissively. Then she turned to me and uttered the six words I did _not _want to hear tonight: "Bella, get dressed, we're going out!"

"Allliccce, I don't wanna," I whined. I _really _didn't want to go. I had things to do, and I was enjoying hanging out with Jakey; I had missed him lately.

She could see my reluctance, so she turned the full force of her pout on me. I was still unmoved, and that's when she went all underhanded: She really, really needed a girl's night; she'd already called Angela, who was meeting us in an hour, so that didn't leave me much time, yada yada yada...

I turned to Jake, who already had a scowl on his face. He knew where we were going, and he wasn't old enough to get in; I myself was only recently old enough. Immediately I felt guilty. Jake used to keep me company while Alice and Angela went out, but since my birthday two weeks ago allowed me to accompany them, he'd been distant. I knew he was jealous, and I really needed to make it up to him sometime soon. Before I could apologize he stood, mumbled a goodbye, and strode out of the house. He was pouting, and he knew how much that bothered me. I hated to see my friends upset_._ I turned to Alice, who was already on her way towards her room, and mentally gave up. I'd just make it up to him later, maybe I could cook him dinner sometime this weekend.

I made my way towards my bathroom, and took my hair down. It really wasn't bad; I would just need to straighten it a bit. After I finished with my hair and makeup, I headed towards my closet, pulled out a faded, worn in jean mini, and a black shirt. It was cute, and tight, with lace around the sleeves and on the back. I added a small pink belt and slipped on my pink chucks. I think my obsession for heels rivaled that of my colored converse craze. I grabbed my guitar pick necklace out, and glanced at myself in the mirror over my dresser. I was satisfied with the overall result; I looked cute and the outfit was fun.

I was just tying my shoelaces when Alice waltzed in. She sat on my bed watching me finish up. I grabbed a pink scarf and a pink clutch from the pile of bags on my closet floor. Slipping my I.D. and some cash in, I turned to ask Alice if she was ready to go. I smiled at what I saw.

I swear, not many people could pull off an outfit quite like Alice. If I would have tried for what she had going, I'd be laughed out the door of our normal club. But on Alice, it worked. Alice was channeling early 80's Madonna in the most adorable way, with her crazy black and white ruffled skirt, black beaded tank top and white vest. I seriously considered asking to borrow the new black heels she was sporting. Studded jewelry completed her look. Her already short hair spiked out everywhere, and her lips were painted a shocking shade of red. She looked perfectly... Alice.

"Ready?" I asked her, but she just shook her head at me, with a happy little smile plastered across her face.

She just started to walk towards the door, calling over her shoulder about how glad she was that she no longer had to dress me.

****************

With Alice driving, we made it to the bar in no time. The normal bouncer was at the door, and he let us in with a quick hello and a hug for Alice. This was our usual haunt, there was always a live band and the atmosphere was fun and relaxed. We stepped inside and I looked around, confused. The place was packed tonight, more so than usual. I looked over to Alice, who must have known what my question was going to be.

"Some hot new campus band," was her reply. I shrugged my shoulders, and we made our way towards the tables. Angela was already there, waiting with drinks. She saw us and smiled wide.

"Hey girls, what's shaking?" She asked as we got within hearing range. I gave her a quick hug and grabbed a drink.

Alice launched into the tale of Tyler almost as soon as we sat down. I was right; she was done with him. We had gone through this with her so many times before that her "I'm done" signs were almost too easy to recognize. She bitched about him never wanting to go anywhere; he would rather stay home and watch mindless television, or plot-less movies where the humor centered on bathroom jokes or topless chicks. And then there was the X-Box addiction; she bitched for a while about how he would ignore her for hours at a time. There was also the fact that she felt like his personal taxi service.

"I'm just sooo sick of carting him around." She finished, setting her empty drink down.

"Alice," I started, "maybe it's time to date some one more... normal?" I gently edged my way through my question, knowing how she normally reacted to this particular subject. Angela immediately jumped in, echoing my sentiments.

"Really Al... isn't it time to date a more grown up sort of guy? I mean, you're out of college now. I know how you like your usual 'bad-boy' types, but maybe..."

"Hey!" She was instantly on guard. "I can't help who I like, guys. Tyler was an okay sort of guy, I just lost interest." Angela and I shared a knowing look. Alice hated to be backed into a corner by us, and she would immediately get defensive. It didn't matter now that she was just complaining for over half an hour about him; somehow it was now her issue. I loved Alice, but I personally thought she liked all of the drama. No matter how many times she whined or complained to myself or Angela, the very next week she would have a new loser.

I was struck with the sudden realization that I was right in not to introducing her to my friend. She wasn't ready yet. I wondered when she would be, and imagined the happiness I would feel when she was finally ready to meet him.

I realized I wasn't really paying attention, and tore myself away from my spacing out, and back into the conversation. We talked for the next half an hour, trying in vain to get her to see reason. I would like to think we were just starting to get through that thick skull of hers, but I highly doubted that she was really listening. When the band began to play, Alice, sensing an out, insisted on dancing. The band was fun, upbeat and slightly old school. I told them I'd meet them on the floor in a minute, I needed to hit the restroom first.

I was just finishing up in the stall when I heard that all too familiar bitchy laugh.

Victoria.

_Great, just what I want to deal with,_ I thought to myself.

Apparently, the campus band drew out the sorority girls too. I was going to hide in the stall until they left, but realized quickly that was cowardly. And I wasn't a coward, so I unlocked the door and stepped out, peeking around the door first. Phew, she was in the other stall. There were two other girls with her. By the looks of them, I guessed that they must have been sorority sisters too. Both were tall, blond, and absolute knockouts. They weren't part of the usual group though. They both smiled at me, and I fought to keep the shock off of my face. They seemed almost… friendly?

The closest one to me was wearing a cute jean skirt and a tight tee with a Chanel logo on the side, and a pretty pair of red heels, which I couldn't help but sigh over for a moment. She must have noticed my shoe-gawking because she gave me another small smile as I headed to the sink to wash my hands.

The other girl had a reddish tint to her blond locks and she gave me the once over, giggling at my bright pink Chucks. "I like your shoes" she said, flashing me a toothy smile.

"Um, thanks…?" She just smiled at me again, and I wondered if my skirt was flipped up in the back or something. The girls who hung around Victoria were never nice to me, and I wondered what angle they were trying to work. I was almost home free and on my way out the door when the stall opened and out stepped Her Royal Bitchiness, in all her glory. She looked at me, and an evil smile spread across her face.

"Bella," she drawled. "How lovely to see you."

I rolled my eyes, and a snort escaped me."Wish I could say the same, but I can't." I shot back as I headed out the door. "Toodles, Vic". She wasn't quick enough for me, and I slipped out of the door, relieved to have missed yet another confrontation with Victoria.

I made my way over to the dance floor and told Alice and Angela about my encounter with my favorite bitch in the bathroom. I filled the girls in on the run-in Victoria and I had earlier this week, and by the end of my tale they were both practically falling all over themselves laughing. They knew all about Victoria and promised to be on the lookout for the striking redhead tonight.

We three were having a great time, dancing around and just getting lost in the music. The band really wasn't bad; they would mix in awesome 80's and early 90's covers every so often into their original music. When they announced that they were going to take a small break, Alice and Angela went to get another table as I went to the bar for drinks.

I was waiting on our cranberry and vodkas, when I felt a hand touch the small of my back. My skin tingled slightly and I slowly turned around, ready to lay into whomever had their hands on me.

"Look buddy..." My intended tongue lashing trailed off and I nearly gasped as I locked gazes with the brilliant green eyes of _Mr. Sex Hair_ himself.

A slow smile spread across my face and I felt my heart rate began to speed. Finally after days of obsessing and searching every passerby's face for a glimpse of him, here he was in front of me, looking altogether delectable.

My inner girly girl was doing a happy dance, flailing hands and all.

He leaned into my side. "Hello," he said softly into my ear. His voice was low, and smooth, and it made me a bit weak kneed. He was quite close; his warm breath fanned over my neck and I shivered. _Holy hell, what was with this guy? _I'd never had a reaction like this to any man before; one simple touch, and I felt myself turning into a pile of Bella goo. Damn, he smelled good too.

Feeling bold, I stood on my tiptoes and placed my hand on his shoulder. I breathed a _hello_ back, my lips brushing his ear. The hand on my back slid across and gripped my side then, and he moved his head to peer down at me.

"Having a good time?" The corner of his lip was quirking up again, and I had the sudden urge to lick him. _Where did that come from?_ I shook the thought away and looked up at him from under my lashes.

"Yeah, the band's not too bad. My friends and I have been dancing all night." I noticed that he looked a little dazed himself, and I couldn't help the cheeky grin from spreading on my face. "How about you, are you having fun?"

"Yeah, I'm here with some friends too. It was my turn for the beer run." He was trying to get the bartender's attention, but with the place being so packed, he didn't seem to be having any luck.

"Wait a sec," I said winking at him and motioning towards the bar. "He should be done with my drinks soon, and you can grab him when he comes back."

He grinned at me, and a flurry of butterflies erupted in my stomach. He was utterly adorable and that grin of his was killer! I shifted a bit to look at him more fully. He was tall; he easily had a foot on me. His green t-shirt was snug, but not tight. It fit well across his shoulders and played up his long, lean torso, and I really wouldn't mind running my hands along that chest, up his shoulders, and into his hair. His hair was still wild, but insanely hot; I wondered if it was as soft as it looked? My fingers twitched, itching to find out. His dark jeans were somewhat loose and faded in some spots. They were held in place with a brown belt that matched his cuff watch and shoes.

_Fuck!_ Adidas, again… _Dude, I'm still dreaming about it…_

Gah!Was there anything about him that I _wasn't_ attracted to? Gorgeous face, sexy physique, the man could dress, and those eyes… I felt a soft brush across my back, and snapped back to the present, shocked to realize he was still touching me. The hand on my back was slowly tracing circles across my shirt with his thumb. A flood of warmth hit me, and I realized I didn't mind his touch; surprisingly, I enjoyed it rather immensely.

He seemed to be taking me in also. I watched his gaze travel down my body, and felt pinpricks of heat erupt wherever his eyes roamed. I was hyper aware of the circles he was making, and the tingly feeling those lazy fingers were giving me.

I saw him glancing at my shoes with an odd expression on his face. I looked down then too, wondering if I had something stuck to them.

_Nope, nothing. Huh…_

I looked up to him, and found him looking somewhat sheepish. I smiled at him then, and he seemed to relax, that grin was suddenly back, and he inclined his head a little closer to me, seemingly waiting for me to speak.

Deciding it was time to finally find out something, hell, anything about him, I started to ask quite possibly the lamest question ever."So, what's your…" We spoke at the same time, and I stopped talking to let him finish what he had to say. My mind was screaming at me to just "shut up and let him talk!"

"Do you…" He trailed off, his mouth snapping closed, a cute pout touching his lips.

I can't believe I had planned to ask him his major. How vanilla was that?! I felt a blush start to creep up my neck, and thanked anyone who was listening that it was dark in here.

He had an adorably embarrassed look on his face, and I wondered what he was about to ask me. I was struck with an irrational sense of jealousy for his hand as it rose to rub the back of his neck. He started to open his mouth again, but the bartender was suddenly there with my drinks.

I slipped him a twenty and grabbed our drinks. Green-eyes took the opportunity presented by the bartender's appearance and ordered two pitchers of Yuengling.

"Thanks," he said, his green eyes sparkling. He almost seemed reluctant to remove his hand from my hip, slowly dragging it back to return to his side.

"No problem. I guess I'll see you around?" _Please say yes, please, please! _While I could stand here all night talking to him, I knew the girls would start worrying soon.

His lips turned up on one side in the cutest half-smile. "You can count on that." His eyes swept over me once more, lingering on my face. I started to say goodbye when his mouth broke into a breathtaking smile, dazzling me into silence.

Dazed, I smiled at him one more time, turned and made my way back over to the girls with a racing heart, feeling his touch lingering on my back. I couldn't wipe the goofy grin from my face, and was excited to tell the girls about this interaction. They had trained me well; rule number one, according to the A-team? _Always leave 'em wanting more. _And I sensed that he had definitely wanted more. I hoped I'd earned another visit from him to Trax. He knew where to find me, now the ball was in his court. I said a silent prayer that he knew how to play the game.

When I got back to our table, Alice was chatting up some random guy. I shot a look at Ang; she shook her head at me. This one really wasn't different from any of the rest: tall, dark hair, good looks. Everything about him screamed _W__rong!_ to me, which meant he was probably Alice's type. My desire to tell them about my meeting at the bar faded, turning instantly to annoyance.

I handed Ang her drink, and placed Ali's on the table. She'd get to it eventually. Ang and I took the time to catch up a bit. She and Ben were doing well, she said. She confessed that she had a feeling he was going to pop the question soon.

"Ang, that's great news!" And it really was... for her. I wasn't really all that jazzed by the concept of marriage myself, but Angela was more of a traditional girl. I'd seen the hell giving yourself so fully to someone could put you through first-hand, and wasn't dying to settle down any time soon. Sure, I dated, but always carefully held myself back from falling head over heels. I wasn't convinced I could ever place my heart in someone's hands willingly; my mother had cured me of that. I had trust issues, to say the least.

Alice turned away from her new friend and joined us at the table. She grabbed her drink and immediately started to go on and on about "Demetri."

_She has that look in her eye_, I groaned to myself.

She was in the middle of gushing about how nice his body was when the band started back up. I wasn't in the mood to bear witness to another round of "Alice's Loser Olympics", so I shot the rest of my drink down and asked the girls if they were coming. They quickly dashed their drinks down and we headed back to the dance floor. I silently hoped I'd bump into Green Eyes again.

The break seemed to work wonders for the band, because they were definitely jamming now. The girls and I were having fun dancing around and singing along to the songs we knew. They suddenly launched into the opening riff of one of our favorite songs, and we moved along to the beat, shimmying on each other. When the lyrics started in, I looked at Alice, and we mouthed the words to each other.

"Why can't I get just one kiss? Why can't I get just one kiss?" We were completely hamming it up now, and broke into immediate giggles. I turned back to dance with Ang, but her eyes narrowed. I shot her a questioning glance, and I turned to see what she was suddenly so aggravated about. _Ahh..._ Alice had been joined by the new guy, and he had her wrapped up tightly. I rolled my eyes, and turned back to Angela. I mouthed an "_I know"_ to her. Alice would be Alice, no matter what we said. She liked to make her own mistakes, and harping on her would only cause her to get pissed, and living with a pissed Alice was not something I wanted right now.

We danced for a long while more, and eventually Angela told me she wanted to go home. Alice was otherwise… occupied. She was so predictable when it came to men, and there was no telling how long it would take for her to disentangle herself from Demitri's mouth. And there was nothing worse than sitting around, being the third wheel. I shot a quick glance around, looking for the hottie from earlier, thinking maybe I could chat him up again, but I didn't see him anywhere.

There was a loud group of the Greek System's Future Pill Poppers of America in the corner, causing a ruckus. I noticed James in the center of them, and quickly looked away.

_Screw it, Alice is a big girl, she can take care of herself,_ I rationalized internally. I asked Ang if she would mind giving me a ride home.

"That's fine. Looks like Alice is going to be a while." She said, sadly shaking her head.

"Thank you, Ang. I should have driven myself. C'mon, let's go tell her we are leaving." We set off towards the table at which Alice and Demtri were now seated. She was draped across his lap in full on make out mode.

Ew.

We got her attention finally, and told her we were both tired and ready to leave.

"Oh, well… Bella, do you mind if I stay a little longer? Ang, you can take her home right?"

"Alice, Bella already asked me that. Its fine, I'll make sure she gets home." Alice shrugged her shoulders at us, choosing to ignore Angela's pointed remark, and went back to trying to chew "Tall, Dark and Smarmy's" lips off. I sighed, and grabbed Angela's hand to leave. We had just walked outside when I heard someone calling my name.

"Jakey! What are you doing here?!" I said, surprised to see him. He didn't seem mad at me, so I grabbed him for a hug and tucked myself under his shoulder.

"I figured you might need a ride, and you know how well Laurent and I get along." I snickered at him. Laurent was the bouncer, and Jake constantly bugged him to let him in the bar. I was happy that now Angela wouldn't have to go out of her way to give me a ride home. We walked her to her car where she gave us both a hug and told us goodbye. Jakey and I made our way towards his bike.

"Did you have fun tonight Bells? Where's Alice?" He looked concerned.

"I had a great time Jakey. Alice is… uh, she's hanging out with a new friend?" I trailed off, my sentence turning into a question.

"I read ya loud and clear honey. She found another one, huh?"

"Sure seems that way. When does she _not_ though?" I sighed, and decided to let it go. I didn't feel like dwelling on it tonight. We reached his bike, and he climbed on, snapping the kickstand back, and steadying the bike. He handed me his extra helmet and I climbed up behind him.

"Ready?" He called back to me as the engine roared to life. I wrapped my arms tightly around him in response. He gunned the throttle and I screamed loudly, excitement pushing its way out as we took off into the night.

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**So, there you go. How'd you like it? Let us know via the review box, and we'll send some love back!**

**As always, the links to our playlist, and the thread on twilighted(dot)net can be found on my profile. Stop by and say hello, we leave extra stuff there often! And we love meeting new people :D**

**Nic's rec of the week: Cocktails and Dreams by fatallyobsessed. It's absolutely awesome, and I am in love with her characterizations. Go read it, now! http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/4833917/1/Cocktails_Dreams**

**Also, if anyone is interested, any of the outfits we describe can be found here: http://www(dot)polyvore(dot)com/cgi/profile?id=679532**

**One final thing, we got word that this fic was rec'd on a blog recently, and we have to love on Caren and Kassiah for it. Go check it out, some of my favorite stories are rec's that have come from these ladies; they won't lead you wrong! Yeah, we heart you girls hardcore too! http://fictionators(dot)blogspot(dot)com/?zx=2897514412fdd93**

**Cya next time!**


	4. Mr Pitiful 1

**Warning: long ass A/N's ahead!**

**Aaand, we're back. SO sorry for the long delay, Ladies and Gents. (Do we have any gents? That'd be cool.) Real Life can throw some wicked curveballs, and not only did Dawn, and not just one, but BOTH of our betas got the good ol' 1,2,3 on this one at the worst possible times. Stupid pitcher…  
Hopefully, we can resume a more normal posting schedule. Trust, this killed us, too. :(**

**So, after a looottt of thinking/debating, we've decided to split this chapter in half (so yes, there's actually more Ed to come! hehe). There were *several* reasons that played into this, only the deciding one was some extra, last minute, EPIC RL fail. Just pleeeaaase, please trust us on this. Please, with a shirtless Rob on top? The rest will be posted on Friday!**

**As always, we hardcore LOVE our betas, who bust ass for us even when RL is sucking for them. ahealthyaddiction -Feel better! Want some chicken soup? Nic makes a mean homemade version! :) And Vixen1836 -You astound us. You deserve some gator boots, and pimped out Gucci suits. GB strikes again! HAH…**

_**SMeyer owns this shtuff. We just like to make her characters act a fool.**_

_**Dawn owns a 65+ year-old vanity/dresser and a 1 year-old book shelf.**_

_**Nic owns a battered, but well-loved copy of Twilight and a pretty cherry wood sleigh bed.**_

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**"You'll plead, you'll get down on your knees for just another taste. And when you think she's let you in, that's when she fades away." –Kings of Leon (Playlist link on profile! :) ) **

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I glanced ahead at a low, concrete structure, nestled between the train tracks and a small shopping plaza. A line of people spilled out of the entrance as they waited for a large-framed bouncer with dark, wavy hair to check their ID's.

"Why are we here?" I sighed from the backseat of Emmett's Jeep, as Rosalie occupied the front.

Emmett glanced at me curiously through the rearview mirror, noting my disinterested tone. "The band that played for the house party last month is doing a show here tonight."

He swung his vehicle into the bar's small and nearly-packed lot, a bright orange neon sign proclaiming its name: Cats. We'd never been here before, though I'd heard it was generally a cool hangout. We typically stuck to another bar called Retriever's, a spot frequented by plenty of other fraternity and sorority members.

I nodded in understanding, recalling the band that had performed at the SAE house at the beginning of September. It would probably be a good show and I had no qualms about a little change of scenery. Over the course of the past week, I was growing annoyed with keeping up with my 'usuals'. In fact, lately I'd been feeling irritated with my complacency in general, really. I sighed, deciding that maybe I just needed a beer and some good music. Solutions that had always worked before…

We climbed out and made our way to the back of the line snaking along the sidewalk. The bouncer waved us in after glancing over our driver's licenses. As soon as we were inside, I scanned the dim, smoke-veiled bar. The latest hits played over the sound system while the band set up on a small stage to the far right. Tables were scattered throughout, bodies were everywhere, and a crowd had already gathered at the bar.

We'd only been inside for about two minutes when a familiar face framed by strawberry blond curls glided up beside us.

"Tanya!" Rosalie greeted my ex with a swift embrace.

"Hey, girl!" Tanya responded, flinging her arms around her neck. "Hi, Emmett. Hey, Edward." She gave each of us a small smile, which I returned in kind.

Tanya and I kept a loose but cordial friendship ever since we'd split up two years ago. When we first started dating, it seemed as if our relationship had been merely a front for our new, exciting, and slightly intimidating college lives. We'd gravitated to each other because we were both smart and attractive people, and stayed together because it was reassuring and comfortable.

Eventually, I had realized I didn't really need that from another person anymore, and that maybe she needed it a little too much. I broke it off shortly after. As I expected she would, Tanya bounced back quickly and was in another relationship three weeks later. It turned out that as long as she was dating someone, she was happy.

"Hey, guys, I'd like you to meet Simon." Tanya reached behind her, grasping the arm of some guy, interrupting his chatting with a couple of other people. He excused himself from them and stepped forward with a warm smile and his hand extended.

"Hey. Edward," I greeted him, shaking his hand firmly. He shook back with equal pressure.

"Ahh, you're one of Tanya's exes, right?" he asked bluntly.

"Yup," I answered awkwardly, nodding my head. His tone wasn't impolite, only curious, but he was sizing me up covertly. I subconsciously rolled my shoulders back, lifted my chin a bit. There was a beat of silence between us until my brother stepped in, hand extended.

"Hey, Simon. I'm Emmett," he greeted, shaking his hand as well. "Hey, you're a Pike, right? Great party you guys threw at your house a while back. Shit was wild…"

Emmett continued conversing with him comfortably as Tanya linked her arm through Rosalie's. I followed them as she led us to the back of the bar. "I saw a bunch of the guys here already," Tanya shouted over her shoulder as I continued to trail behind, looking through the crowd to see our destination.

Finally, we reached a decent sized group of people surrounding a couple of tables pushed together. I recognized several of the faces amongst the standing and sitting figures.

"'Sup, li'l bro!" I heard a familiar voice shout. I had barely registered the greeting before I was put into a headlock.

_They must've started early…_ I thought with a forced grin and short wave.

"Fuck off, James!" I shouted back, landing a punch to my assailant's kidney.

"Shit, man!" James stumbled away, laughing and massaging his side. "Emmett! The fuck?! You finally been teaching this little bitch a thing or two?"

Emmett laughed at him over his shoulder while he continued to make his round of greetings.

I smirked at James as he stumbled slightly again, this time clearly from the effects of the alcohol.

"Wipe that bitchsmirk off your face." He laughed, grabbing my hand and pulling me in for the 'we're cool man' half-shake-half-hug.

He swung back to the table dramatically and swiped a small plastic cup from its top.

"You fuckers are late to the party, so drink up!" James shouted and shoved the double shot of amber fluid in my face.

I gave it a whiff to determine what it was before I realized I didn't care. Whatever it would take to finally get my brain back to normal… _JD. Works for me!_ I slung the shot back, allowing the satisfying burn to work its way quickly down my throat.

"Thanks, man." I flung the empty cup back at him with a grin. He was already holding out another to me, peering around the rim of a mug he was currently draining. I snatched the second double shot from his hand and immediately emptied the cup.

I rolled my shoulders back slightly, finally settling into the bar's atmosphere. I realized once the band started playing and I had a decent drink in hand, the night would be good.

I stepped up to the crowd of people, completing my round of "hello"s to the familiar faces along with Emmett and Rosalie.

"Take another one of those." James gave me a light shove a couple minutes later. He gestured towards the tray of shots as he passed me, settling into a seat next to his girlfriend. Victoria was in the middle of a conversation with a couple girls I recognized when James reached out for her, grabbing her roughly, and spinning her around for a lewd kiss. When he pulled away, she simply swiped the back of her hand across her mouth, rolled her eyes, and picked up her conversation again as if nothing had happened. James looked smug, grinning at me as he grabbed a handful of Victoria's ass (at which she barely flinched), and picked up the pitcher closest to him for another refill.

I shook my head at his bullshit and reached for another drink. It was no wonder James felt so entitled when it came to women; Victoria hardly made him work for anything. Fucker had it way too easy. _What could he possibly want with MG?_ I found myself wondering. I was wary of approaching James to actually ask him about her like I'd intended. What had happened between them anyway? She didn't like him. But why? I remembered the look of aggravation on her face from Monday, recalling her defensive body language for the hundredth time this week. I didn't know her, but by comparing her anger to the light blush and sweet smiles I had received, I naturally assumed something happened.

I figured I'd ask anyway after a few more drinks. But six shots worth of Jack in about as many minutes later, I thought it wise to slow down, settling into conversation with Emmett. He chided me for seeming so glum at the outset of the evening and noted that I had loosened up considerably since. Everything he said was true, and I _did _feel better now. After a while, a few other brothers from SAE joined us as the band on stage was opening their first set.

A few girls I'd spoken to before took turns trying to squeeze their way into our group, laughing obnoxiously and pushing their tits against my arm. Even with the drinks and the atmosphere, I wasn't quite in the mood for ego inflation. I didn't exactly showing much interest in return, and they got the hint, huffing or moving on to another brother (with the exception of Emmett, of course; they knew that shit was claimed).

I waited until the band decided to take a break before I gave in to Emmett's insistence on another drink. As volunteer DD for the night, he was getting pissed I wasn't shitfaced yet. I was definitely buzzed, but not drunk. The night was young, though.

Giving in to his demands, I was mid-turn toward the table, poised to grab the last of the beer in the last pitcher—when it happened.

It was _her_.

I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again, wondering if those shots had hit me harder than I thought. _JD can't make you hallucinate, right?_

No. It really was _her._

My Mystery Girl, or MG or any such variation on the theme for this beauty I'd thought of since Monday. And there she was, traipsing across the dance floor in the direction of the bar. If I hadn't clearly seen her speaking to James just a few days prior, I would have seriously been on the verge of thinking I was losing my mind. She kept turning up in unexpected places, first campus, then Trax, now this?...

"Shit, we're out of Yuengling. Have no fear, little ones, I'll be back with some more!"

_James._ Even buzzed, I understood quickly.

I had no idea of their history, but I did know that seeing him at the beginning of the week hadn't exactly been the highlight of her day. On one hand, I didn't want an association with James to stand in the way of me at least getting a chance to talk to her tonight. On the other hand… if they were actually on good terms, could tonight be a make-up encounter? Well, I'd be damned if I'd let James get to her before I did.

I flung my arm out across his chest just as he was walking past me. I had no idea what took over just then; I only knew that I wouldn't…no, I couldn't, let him see MG. James gaped, confused.

"I got this one, man. You've been buyin' all night!" I forced a lazy grin across my face, hoping I looked casual.

"Thanks, dude!" James slurred and pounded my shoulder with his palm. He spun back to our group, losing his balance for a moment. "Yo, Eddie's got the next pitcher!"

_What the hell am I doing? Oh yes… MG._

As soon as he turned, my eyes went back to the bar. I sighed with relief when I finally saw her squeezing up to the counter, shouting to the bartender over the din of the packed establishment. I trained my eyes on her form as I snaked my way through the crowd quickly, silently hoping she had a complicated order.

I broke through two guys standing near the counter and stopped a few steps behind her, forgetting about the people weaseling their way around me, forgetting the impossible coincidence that she was here tonight, forgetting… _What the hell was I going to say to her again?_ I couldn't focus.

She was leaning against the bar with her elbows on top, lightly swaying her hips from side-to-side to the music from the sound system.

I watched for a moment, being bumped by passersby, preparing to talk to her, but as I took a step forward, my eyes caught a particularly fatal swing of her hips along with a groove in the song playing, The rhythm of the drum picked up tempo, and with a deep breath, I took another step forward, watching her hips speed slightly. I knew the song slowed soon, and that knowledge urged me to just grab her by the waist from behind, to see what it would feel like to claim her that way…

My body moved forward of its own volition, the crazy urge to make some sort of contact with her overwhelmed me. Alcohol fuzzed my brain, convincing me to touch simply to confirm she wasn't some sort of apparition.

_Whoa, Ed. Calm it down._ My hand was poised to touch her and I was standing quite close. _Whoa there, sparky. Back off._

Quickly recovering, I took a silent breath, reminding myself not to cross the unspoken boundary of, you know, _not_ randomly touching people you didn't _actually _know?

Calming my initial caveman notion, but still giving in against my better judgment, my palm found its way to the small of Mystery Girl's back and rested there lightly. I felt a slight tingle through my fingertips and she jumped the tiniest bit with the contact. _Did I just shock her or something?_ I wanted to laugh.

In a brief flash of sanity, I pondered the statistic of females who responded positively to being randomly manhandled by strangers in a bar.

I noticed her shoulders tense slightly as she turned around to face me, and I feared I'd be met with a reaction closer to the one she'd given James than I thought._ Outlook: not good._

"Look, buddy…" she started. I inwardly flinched as fury crossed her face. For a moment my brain contemplated dropping my hand out of fear that I'd lose it shortly. But my body rebelled and decided to stick it out.

Her expression immediately changed into one of surprise and then… recognition? We seemed to be moving in the right direction, so I kept the small smile pasted on my face. _Please tell me you remember me_. Everything seemed to move slowly, but she smiled.

She _did_ remember me. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. And MG didn't seem to be bothered at all by the hand still resting on her back, so I leaned closer, taking the opportunity before she changed her mind. On my intake of breath, I drew in a light scent, a mixture of berries and flowers. I nearly groaned. _Aren't we all just supposed to smell like 'bar' at this point?_

I wasn't sure how steady my voice would be if I tried to speak any louder, so I lowered my mouth to her ear, the heat of her skin tingling my face.

"Hello," I said finally.

She leaned in and placed her hand on my shoulder. For a split second I panicked again, assuming she meant to shove me away. _Well, she probably should, you creeptastic douche._

But she didn't. Instead, she stretched onto her tiptoes and brought her mouth to my own ear. "Hello," she purred back.

_Oh, yes, I do believe that was a purr_.

When I felt her lips actually brush my ear, I grasped her side, initiating Mission: Claim. My teeth clenched in restraint as her perfume or body wash or whatever it was, hit me again. She smelled so good…

Shaking my head, our eyes met and she smiled, her full lips so close all of the sudden.

_Can I show you a good time? _"Having a good time?" I asked, doing my best to bring on that charm Emmett swore by.

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes flickering up to my mouth. Her head tilted slightly as she looked up at me from under those eyelashes. _Oh, sweet Jesus. Not the LashLook. Don't they know what we imagine when they look up at us like that?! _To fuel the fire, my eyes thought it wise to flash down to her lips. Her perfectly, pillowy, pouty… _Shit._

She grinned up at me, her pretty smile drawing my attention and breaking my thoughts immediately. I realized then I'd not heard a word she said._What was it I asked her again?_

"How about you, are you having fun?" she prompted. _Oh, right. Pull it together, Edward._

"Yeah, I'm here with some friends. It was my turn for the beer run," I lied. As if to substantiate my story, I turned my head to search out the bartender. Waving, I tried to grab his attention with no luck.

"Wait a sec," she interrupted my attempts. I looked back down to catch a wink from her as she continued, "He should be done with my drinks soon, and you can grab him when he comes back."

_Did she really just wink at me? _I was so relieved that she didn't seem to be bothered by my intrusion on her personal space that I couldn't stop a stupid grin from stretching across my face. She moved a few inches to the side. At first, I was worried that I had finally reached the limits on my Creep Factor, and I almost gripped her side tighter in protest, but she wasn't pushing me away. She was getting a better view…

Her eyes roved over my body, and I'd been 'checked out' by plenty of girls before, but not like this.

Most of the time it made me uncomfortable, especially if the look-over was executed by someone I didn't know. But this time? I found myself hoping Mystery Girl liked what she saw. I wanted her too and I said nothing as she had her fill.

Instead of letting any unease settle into the silence between us, I decided it wouldn't hurt to take the same liberties. I wanted a better look at the girl taking up residence in my consciousness.

Through the lace portion of her top I could see the hint of pink bra straps. _Oh, what a fine place to start. Her lingerie. Lingerie that currently had the extreme fortune of cupping her… No. No. Move it along._ I forced my eyes onward, slipping past the hem of her blessedly short jean skirt, down the length of two slender, creamy legs, settling on her feet.

_Wow, didn't expect that._ I stared curiously at her hot pink Converses, thinking that any other girl would probably have finished this hot outfit off with a pair of 'F' Me heels, and the fact that she opted for a pair of comfortable Chucks was fucking cute and… intriguing? Can one be intrigued by choice of footwear?

I snapped my gaze back up, finding her checking her own feet self-consciously. The warmth of embarrassment hit my face as she raised her eyes to mine. And I nearly apologized, but before I could speak, she smiled, and our eyes held for several seconds. Much too long for just friendly. And I'd never realized dark eyes could _sparkle_ that way.

_Wait…_ How long had we just been standing there, looking each other over? I had no idea. _Quick, now is the time for talking. Remember how to do that, Ed?_

I leaned towards her again to speak. "Do you—"

Only she did so at the same time. "So, what's your—"

We both broke off, waiting for the other to finish their question. I silently prayed she would jump back in first. Realizing what I was about to ask her, I refused to open my mouth again until I could find my damn brain.

_Do you come here often? _Was I really about to go for the biggest fucking cliché that could possibly exist in the Big Book of the Lamest Fucking Pickup Lines Your Sorry Ass Could Ever Dream of Using? _Jesus, Ed. And what now? _I rubbed my neck nervously, scrambling for something else to say.

She appeared to be just as embarrassed as I was. Inevitably, my brain would allow my mouth to open, intent on trying to make her comfortable again. But at this point, any further speaking would result in me… demonstrating for her… that I was, in fact, the biggest jackass to walk the face of this earth…

Luckily, I was interrupted and both of us were saved the trouble by the appearance of the bartender with her drinks. I was definitely buzzed. I had nearly forgotten my excuse for being there in the first place.

A sense of disappointment stole over me then, an ache growing in the pit of my stomach with the realization she was about to return to her friends. I would have been perfectly content to just stand here, creating awkward moments, stuttering clichés. Obviously, I didn't mind the occasional bout of masochism.

"Thanks," I said finally and forced my arm to return to my own side, regretting it the moment I lost contact with her body.

"No problem." She paused uncertainly. "I guess I'll see you around?"

I couldn't stop one corner of my mouth from lifting at the thought that she might actually want to see me again. Well, if I had anything to do with it…

"You can count on that," I answered smoothly, finally feeling a rush of confidence.

Her eyes brightened and I let the full-blown grin take over my face. She hesitated one moment longer, but smiled shyly before grabbing her drinks and turning away. My eyes followed her dark hair as she navigated, disappearing too quickly into the crowd.

"Hey. Buddy!" The bartender shouted expectantly.

Dazed and even more buzzed than before, I swiveled back around to see him waiting, my pitchers in hand. He was annoyed, but I thanked him anyway. And now that she was gone, I finally registered the effect MG had on my nerves. _What the hell? Can I please get a damn grip?_

I was sweating slightly and hadn't realized how fast my heart was racing until then. With a deep breath, I willed the beats to slow, pocketing my change as I grasped the pitchers. One last time, I couldn't stop my eyes from sweeping the bar for MG. I found nothing, but I hoped to see her again before the night was over. With that prospect hovering, I returned to my group.

"It's about damn time!" Rosalie growled when I reached the table. She wordlessly stretched out her empty cup towards me. After smiling in response, but otherwise not offering any explanation, I began to fill her beer.

She rolled her eyes then, watching me pour. "What's up with you?" I asked, noting her generally irritated expression.

Tanya stepped up to her side as Rosalie took a long swig of her beer. "Victoria's just being a pain in the ass," she explained with a laugh, reaching for the beer, too.

"Well that's a surprise," I mumbled sarcastically. It was no secret that James' girlfriend could be a downright whiny bitch when something displeased her. "Who's the offending party this time?"

"I don't even know," Rosalie began, rolling her eyes. "It was just some random chick she apparently knows that we ran into in the bathroom. The poor girl didn't even say anything before Vic's claws came out. But it was okay… Homegirl handled her own before Vic could _really _get started…" she laughed.

"Vic's been bitching nonstop about this girl we know absolutely nothing about," Tanya continued. She assumed a high-pitched, nasally voice as she repeated some of Victoria's snide comments, "'Oh my god, she looked so trashy! You could see her bra straps straight through that cheap lace. And did you see those clown shoes? Absolutely ridiculous.'"

_Wait… lace top, bra straps, and shoes Victoria wouldn't be caught dead in…_

So I guessed Victoria had had a run-in with my doe-eyed girl. And if she was so obviously bothered by one simple encounter, then there was clearly something that worried Vic about James' interaction with her. I was suddenly very glad for running James/Mystery Girl interference before.

Rosalie laughed at Tanya's imitation. "I thought her whole outfit was cute as hell, anyway."

"I did, too," Tanya shrugged and snickered. "It probably didn't help her temper that we actually said that to her."

"Oh, what the fuck ever," Rose spat. "I'm not one of her little bootlicking bimbos that's just gonna go along with whatever stupid shit she has to say. I'll leave that to Jane." She took another swig of her beer and she and Tanya walked away, still laughing and chattering about Victoria's finer character points, and I was left to ponder this latest bit of news.

Hearing them talk about her, especially with Victoria's thoughts thrown in to the mix, highlighted one simple fact I hadn't really considered fully: MG was different from them. Different from all of the girls that I was usually surrounded by.

I wondered if I would I would have looked at her the same way if she'd dressed just like Rose and Tanya. If she would have stuck out in my mind at all. Not that what they wore was unattractive, but there was definitely a quality about it that aimed to please, to make men want them. With MG, it was more like she wore whatever she damn well pleased, and it just so happened that it pleased me…immensely. Was it independence? Did she just like her own style?

I considered that further, pretending to listen to the small-talk and pointless conversation around me. Our area was packed, everyone was having a good time, and a half an hour had passed since we'd parted ways at the bar. I kept an eye out for my Chuck Taylor beauty though, and as more time passed and the band finished another set, I began to worry I'd missed my chance to see her again.

Before I could panic, as if on cue, I caught sight of her near the stage, dancing with two other dark-haired girls. _Well, hell yeah._

I stood and shamelessly watched her over the shoulder of a friend. I nursed my beer as he and the four others I was standing with continued the conversation. I, however, was completely oblivious to the current topic.

Was I supposed to care what they were discussing when there was an impossibly gorgeous girl across the room, moving her body in ways that brought to mind only one thing? Or rather, several variations on only one thing?

I played off the small smile that came to my face as a reaction to whatever was being said in our loose circle while I watched her dance with her friends, laughing and playfully rubbing against one of the girls. I couldn't help but mentally put myself in her friend's place, even if they were only dancing 'playfully'.

There would definitely be a more-than-playful nature to the way we would dance…

I recalled the warmth of her body as she had stood close to mine at the bar, my hand firmly on her waist, her lips brushing my ear. I replayed her voice, flirty and like warm honey in my head. The way her small fingers pressed on my chest and her berry smell.

_Shit._

I tried to reign in my imagination as my body began to react to my thoughts.

I had no doubt I'd get some strange looks if anyone noticed me sporting wood in the middle of a conversation with four other guys. And not trying to toot my own horn or any shit like that, but…well…damn. _Toot toot, _I'd be pitching a tent for ten down there. _Down boy!_

I tilted my cup back, polishing off my third beer. When I looked back to the dance floor, I realized my view of MG had been blocked by another small cluster of dancers trying to squirm their way closer to the stage. I cursed them in my head and I craned my neck, trying unsuccessfully to see around them.

"Hey, Ed, who are you looking for?" Emmett nudged my side.

I startled, momentarily forgetting their presence as I searched for her again. "Oh, uh, no one," I said hastily, "I just thought I saw someone I knew."

I noticed Emmett watching me a little more closely after that, asking me questions, and trying to bring my focus back to the conversation. But I couldn't keep my eyes from flickering back to the crowd around the stage, searching and hoping to at least catch a glimpse of her once more. Where did she go? Maybe if I found her, I could try talking to her again…

Only a few minutes later, I caught sight of her figure heading towards the exit.

"I'll be right back," I interrupted Simon quickly, as he continued talking about…well, whatever.

I plunged into the crowd, trying to find the quickest way to the door. _Should have talked to her earlier! _I thought. I should have, but I could make up for it now.

I swear, it was like the forces of the universe were against me trying to reach that damn door. Every time a path opened up in front of me, ten bodies would converge, creating a wall. _What the fuck is the idea here?!_ Fed up, I elbowed my way past a couple of people who were drunkenly flailing to the music, thinking for sure she'd be gone by the time I broke free. Finally, I emerged from the hazy prison of the bar, flinging open the doors of Cats. The cool October air hit my face as the beat of the music thumped behind me. I breathed in the fresh air, searching the parking lot for her immediately… _Where did she go?_ My eyes found her then, standing with someone I'd never seen before, smiling and talking by his motorcycle.

She was _with_ someone?

He was a kinda tall, kinda muscled someone with black hair and bronzed skin. A someone she was obviously familiar with. From his build, he seemed athletic, but I'd never seen him with the jocks. I'd never seen him at all. He also happened to just magically appear in the position of my number one enemy. And no one had graced that spot since Marcus Ashburn, second grade. _Asshole._

I stood, frozen, and watched as he hopped onto a motorcycle and offered her an extra helmet. _What is he, nuts? _Didn't he realize she could get hurt on that thing?

Something hit me then, pushing me forward, but wait… _You don't even know her…_

It sunk in that my chance was _lost_ tonight. From the entrance of the club, I watched him, that feeling still broiling in the pit of my stomach.

Was I…_ jealous?_ I snorted at the thought before realizing it. I hadn't been jealous since… _Fucking Marcus Ashburn…_

No, I had no reason to be jealous and no proof he was her boyfriend. I stopped all that, shaking it off, but still unable to stop watching them as they prepared to leave together. She laughed and so did he before she wrapped her arms around him, helmet firmly in place.

She wouldn't have flirted with me at the bar if she was already with someone, would she? _Damn it._ _Was_ he her boyfriend? I wondered again, but the thought stopped as her happy shriek of laughter filled the air. I found myself smiling too for a second before I remember people were around smoking and laughing.

With a feeling of regret sinking in, I watched him peel out of the parking lot. That wasn't the shy reaction she'd given me at Trax; she was laughing, carefree and natural…

_It also wasn't the reaction she gave James, though…_ I reminded myself fairly. But even with that bit of confidence, I still felt a nagging at the back of my mind. What would I do if my Mystery Girl were already taken? What _could_ I do?

My musings were interrupted by the raucous laughter of a small group pouring out of the door behind me. I stepped around them and made my way back inside, realizing I felt much better assuming the Bike Douche was just a friend. I ignored the reminder of how her slender arms encircling his waist irritated me.

Maybe it was time for me to update my music collection again soon. I could find out then.

* * *

**Let us know what you thought! Dawn's posting can be found here: **http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5030930/1/On_the_Inside_of_Love**  
Don't forget, the rest comes on Friday! :D**

**Oh, and we need to welcome some new readers. Hi y'all! Thanks for following that link from TLYDF here; you have NO idea the insane amount of sqeeee's that resulted from that. We wanna hear from you! Say hello, introduce yourself, and let us offer you a drink and a dance! :)**

**Dawn's rec of the week: The Price of Balance, by averysubtlegift. SUCH a unique story (Edward is neither human nor vamp!), and so incredibly and beautifully written. This one will suck you in right from the start. You MUST check it out: **http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/4763112/1/The_Price_of_Balance

**As always, links to the playlist, the Twi'd thread, most all of the outfits described, and now the rec from TLYDF (! Eeeee!), can be found on our profiles!**


	5. Mr Pitiful 2

**Dawn: Hello again! Here's Part Deux of some EPOV! I am *ecstatic* that you all seemed to enjoy reading his thoughts on that bar scene! :) Can you imagine if this had all been lumped into one, monster update? Yeesh.**

**Nic: BB's! It's time, y'all! What have you been waiting for? *waggles eyebrows***

**As ever, a ridiculously HUMONGOUS THANK YOU to our betas, Vixen1836 and ahealthyaddiction, who work their voodoo over our words like magic awesomesauce. Yep. That's right. **

**You'd have had a pitiful Mr. Pitiful (1 AND 2) without their mad skillz!**

**Next weekend, we shall return to the wandering mind of our little Spunkella! She's feeling… playful. ;) **

_**Disclaimer: Still SMeyer's ish. Gah.**_

_**Our ish—**_

_**Dawn: Four feather pillows, two beady ones, one memory foam and one normal. I just acquire them. *snuggle* **_

_**Nic: Decking out the aforementioned sleigh bed are ten pillows. Yep, I adore comfort.**_

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"**Just another girl that wants to rule the world****, ****any time or place****. ****And when she gets into your head****, ****you know she's there to stay." –Kings of Leon

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With Emmett still sitting in class on campus, Rose and I were the only ones at home on Monday afternoon. We _had _been discussing some of the coursework she was doing when way the hell out of nowhere she started talking about my "pissy mood" over the past week, attributing it to a "lack of action in the sack." She then proceeded to inform me that after noticing I had made little to no effort at scoping for prospective dates on Friday, she'd taken the liberty of procuring one for me.

I was not pleased.

"Edward, you need to stop moping around here like some psycho-depressive weird-ass. You are going on this date, or else..." Rosalie threatened.

"Or else what?" I challenged, leaning towards her across the kitchen counter, supported by my fists gripping its edge.

She paused for a beat, thinking. Her eyes flashed to mine then and I knew she'd hit the motherload.

"Or else I'll conveniently let it slip to Jane that you've been looking for a date for next Friday, and that you have been asking about her in particular. That girl will be all over your balls like white on rice until you take her out." A corner of her mouth twitched, knowing she had me.

My jaw clenched and my grip on the counter tightened. She was right, and while I'd already been annoyed enough by Jane's random appearances at my side, I was well aware that was nothing compared to how it _could_ be if Rose fueled the fire. I stared hard into her determined eyes, but her look told me there was no concession to be made on this one.

"Fine!" I growled like a surly teenager. Her expression immediately melted into one of triumph.

"Great! She's really sweet, so I expect you to be your usual, gentlemanly self. You don't even have to pick her up; I told her you'd meet at the restaurant. 7:30 on Wednesday," she said over her shoulder casually, walking to the fridge.

"You've already set up our date? What if I'd already made plans for Wednesday?" I continued to grumble.

Rose turned to me and rolled her eyes. "Please, Edward. Wednesdays are when you and Em have your five-dollar pizza nights. You won't be breaking any hearts."

Damn it. _This _is why it was inconvenient to have Rose over all the damn time. She probably knew my schedule as well as she knew Emmett's. How the hell was I ever supposed to get away with anything?

I let out an exasperated sigh, prying my fingers from the counter's edge and swiped my Coke from its surface. "What the hell is her name anyway?" Defeated, I walked to the table, and dropped into a chair.

"Jessica. She's cute and she's really sweet."

"Yeah, you've said that," I muttered. I could already imagine the kind of 'cute' and 'really sweet' girl that Rose would have waiting for me. Likely someone she knew from her sorority. Probably decent to look at. But also certainly no one I would be interested in even _attempting_ to hold an actual conversation with at this point. And I realized what was happening to me, but I couldn't stop it.

I wasn't interested in anyone else. Only MG.

This last week had been strange for me. _All_ of my interest seemed captivated by _her_, leaving nothing left for anyone, or anything else.

And the affect she had on me had only gotten stronger. I had hoped that my little venture out to the bar last Friday would provide a welcome distraction from how I was feeling before. But now… after standing so close, touching her, staring at her lips… I could think of nothing else. I truly wanted _anything_ to distract _some _fiber of my consciousness from being wrapped up in _her_, but I wasn't interested in any other options.

And how was it so coincidental we'd run into each other that night? Of all the bars and clubs and restaurants and movie theaters and whatever-the-hell-else-draws-people-out-on-a-Friday-night in Seattle—Cats was where she and her friends had chosen to be, after I'd already been thinking of her non-stop.

It could have been coincidence, but deep down, I was beginning to hope it wasn't.

And how had I completely lost the damn sense to ask her name when I had the chance?

"Edward," Rose startled me from my thoughts, "if for some stupid reason you really want to crush your can, I suggest you either drain it first or move to the sink," she finished in a bored tone. I glanced down at the drink in my hand, realizing the indentations from my fingers that had subconsciously been taking out my frustrations. Her eyes went back to the magazine she was now flipping through at the counter.

Okay, so _maybe_ I was a little upset that my dumb ass hadn't asked for a name…

"Whatever," I muttered. I shoved away from the kitchen table and decided to retreat to my room for the evening.

***************

The next afternoon, I was on my way to The Daily Grind to meet my friend Jasper. It was nice to be doing something familiar; I had already let the existence of MG disrupt so much of my daily life and at this point, my trips here were the only part of my routine I was satisfied keeping. I had ditched out on Monday afternoon basketball with the guys; I just wasn't game for the typical bathroom humor and big-tit ogling into the equipment room that entertained us during our games. And after missing out on my usual meetings with this particular friend at the café the previous Tuesday and Thursday, I was missing the interruption of level-headed intellect that our conversations offered.

Jasper was two years older than me and currently in his first year of grad school at U Dub. We'd met a few years ago while he was working here on his undergraduate in History. We'd shared a core class that all students were required to take in order to fulfill their degree requirements, and we soon discovered we were the only ones in the class with a damn clue. Whenever project times arose, we wound up working together.

Back then, Jasper had been convinced of his desire to become a distinguished professor of history. However, he was now working on a Masters of Philosophy, and he'd decided on law school, using his history background as the basis for an emphasis on Constitutional law.

I supposed he was sort of my best friend. Where Jasper was concerned, I could count on conversation fodder outside the realm of all-night keggers and easy lays, and I could rely on honesty from him without pretension. Although he tended to avoid the big house parties I invited him to, he still hung out and got along great with Emmett and Rosalie. Plus, whenever he did happen to show up at larger gatherings of fraternity brothers, everyone thought he was cool as shit anyway. He was just ridiculously easy to get along with.

The first time I'd discovered the haven that is The Daily Grind, it had been near the start of the semester and I'd run into Jasper there. When I had shown up two days later, he was there again. It seemed our schedules lined up on those days, and it eventually became an unspoken routine for us to meet up to shoot the shit. Not your typical, ballgame-and-a-case-of-beer hang out, but it suited us just fine.

Finally parking down the street from my destination, I had to admit there were other reasons I was content with picking up this specific part of my routine.

Before, I hadn't known what lay beyond the gleaming glass of the store next door. But now? Coming to this little coffee shop had never held such bright prospects. And I was still contemplating my next music investment…

As I strolled down the sidewalk, I suddenly wondered if MG was at work today, if she'd be able to see me walking into the coffee shop next door…

_Remember that whole grip on reality thing? Yeah, let's try that out today._

Even if Mystery Girl had seemed interested at the bar, there was no way I could just waltz into Trax today when I had _just _seen her last Friday. She would think I was some creepy ass stalker for sure.

_God, I hope she doesn't see me. _

I approached the café quickly now, the sun's glare off of the entrance to Trax seemingly beckoning to me like a lighthouse to a damned sailor lost at sea. Steeling my resolve, I forced myself to turn at the doors to The Daily Grind instead, intent on not obsessing in my one place of relaxation. The smell of coffee assaulted my senses and I inhaled deeply, stepping up to the counter and pushing out the last of my ridiculous thoughts with my exhale.

When my drink was finally in hand, I searched our usual spot for Jasper. A head of shaggy blond hair came into view and I navigated to meet him quickly.

"Hey, man."

I dropped heavily into the empty, plush armchair opposite him. Jasper glanced up from the newspaper as I set my coffee down and leaned my bag against the low table that sat between us.

"What's goin' on?" he asked, folding his paper and setting it down on the table.

"Not a whole helluva lot, man."

We spent the next twenty minutes or so catching each other up on various details of our previous week. He shared some interesting case files he'd come across while completing research, and I filled him on the extra hours I had to put in at the lab.

"D'you meet anyone interesting?" he asked when I mentioned my Friday night outing.

I hesitated, not sure whether I wanted to bring up MG or not. Did I want to introduce someone else to my particular brand of crazy quite yet?

"Yes." The word tumbled from my mouth without my permission. _Well, shit. I guess I do._

Jasper sipped his tea, quirking his eyebrow at me over the rim of his cup. "Oh, really?" he finally asked when I didn't elaborate.

"Yeah… Kinda…" I picked at the cardboard sleeve wrapped around my cup. I didn't want to elaborate further anyway.

What was I supposed to even say about her? That she was this incredibly gorgeous brunette that I'd seen three times before I even spoke to her… and now it seemed like I kept seeing her everywhere, and I was almost starting to think it was supposed to mean something… and I couldn't stop thinking about how she smelled like berries and flowers… and that I kept looking up at the door because I hoped she'd appear?

_Wait…_ _Would it still be stalking if _she_ found _me_ here?_

_I hadn't thought of that…_

Jasper brought his ankle to rest on his knee, waiting patiently for me to figure out where I was going to take this. After what must have been for-damn-ever he politely repeated, "Kinda?"

"Yeah. Well, we didn't really talk much…" I trailed off.

"Is that so?" He raised his brow suggestively, curious about that detail. A smirk spread across his face.

"Fuck you, man," I said with a laugh, feeling some of my tension slip away.

Jasper knew I wasn't a meet-'em-and-screw-'em kind of guy, but he also knew I had a weakness for a good ol', inebriated make-out sesh. He'd been unfortunate enough to stumble in on one of those a time or ten. Or rather, unfortunate enough to incur the wrath of the interrupted make-outee.

"I mean, I actually only interacted with her for about five minutes." I felt some of my frustration return over that fact.

"Ah," Jasper nodded slowly. "Must've been some five minutes. Think you'll get to see her again?"

My eyes flashed to the door for the fiftieth time. "I think so."

"What's her name?"

My quiet laugh in response had a slightly hysterical edge to it. "I…I don't know." Should I recount to him all of the times I had tried to guess at a name that would suit that beautiful face, coming up short each time? Nothing seemed pretty enough…

Jasper paused in mid-reach for his cup of tea, leaning back in his seat. He stared at me thoughtfully for a moment. "Edward. Now, normally, my brain wouldn't be making a big deal out of you mentioning some chick you talked to at a bar for five minutes… whose name you don't even know and who you're not even sure you're going to see again… but the way you're acting and the look on your face are tellin' a slightly different story."

I halted my bouncing knee, stopped picking at the insulating sleeve on my cup, and immediately forced an exasperated expression on my face. "Nah, man. She was just some chick I talked to for a bit. She was kinda hot, that's all," I said dismissively, trying to lie.

My throat constricted for a moment, forcing a cough to erupt from my lips. It was almost as if my brain were staging a protest against my ridiculous statements. _'Kinda hot'… right._

"But anyway, Rose set me up on a date for tomorrow night," I added, as if to prove that MG was of no consequence.

"Oh, really?" He reached for his tea again.

"Ha, yeah. She threatened to sic Jane on me if I didn't go." Jasper laughed in appreciation; he'd had only one encounter with the girl and could fully appreciate the implications of the threat.

"Do you know anything about the girl you're going out with?"

I explained that a quick conversation with Emmett that morning revealed nothing much beyond what I had already guessed. Jessica was a Kappa Delta. She was a year younger than me, a sophomore. And she was intended to be nothing more than a temporary distraction for my sorry, mopey ass. Rose had gone out of her way to provide a distraction for me, even if I was beginning to assume it was also a bit for her own personal amusement.

Knowing that Rose didn't actually expect me to come out of this date with any serious feelings towards this girl was in no way reassuring.

But I had decided to suck it up and go along with it anyway. I only felt guilty that Jessica would be clueless to the fact that she was merely a diversion for my preoccupied mind.

After another cup of coffee, Jasper and I parted ways outside of The Daily Grind. I cringed as he wished me luck on my upcoming date, and sparing once last glance at Trax, was on my way home.

***************

My fingers moved on their own, drumming the table out of sheer boredom as I continued to listen to the girl across from me speak.

Why did Rose think this girl would be a good match for me? Even if only temporarily? Sure, Jessica seemed like a nice enough girl. In an annoying, vapid, materialistic, self-centered, endlessly-babbling, sort of way…

That pleasant? you ask. Oh, yes! I say.

The only possible reasons I could see to support this set-up were that one, this girl had not _once_ opened her trap in front of Rose. Or two, this was, after all, some sort of horribly twisted and completely unamusing joke on Rose's part. Hell, maybe Emmett was in on it, too.

I managed to lock an empty stare on Jessica's face, feigning polite interest in her rambles. Successfully, I reigned in my focus for about two seconds before it began to slip away again.

"And then all the sisters just picked up their bags and walked out of there..." Yup. She was _still_ rambling on about her sorority.

I had tried five times to steer the conversation elsewhere before I just gave up. _Five_…times. I asked anything I could think of about her major. I asked what exactly she had planned for after she graduated. I asked about her hometown. I even asked, pointedly, what she liked to do, _outside of her sorority_. Hell, I even asked her if she had any pets. I had nothing against her for being so passionate about it all; I just figured she might have been willing to strike up a conversation that we could _both_ contribute to.

Despite my best efforts, she somehow managed to always bring the topic back under the branch of good ol' Kappa Delta. Since she didn't appear to have any interest in hearing me speak, and seemed to enjoy keeping the discussion afloat entirely on her own, I felt safe and somewhat justified in letting my thoughts wander.

Unfortunately, this ended up defeating what I had hoped the entire purpose of the evening would be: a distraction. And a cycle had already developed.

When my thoughts drifted, they ended up settling on familiar musings: _I wonder what MG would wear on a date like this. _Or, _I wonder what MG's major is… _Or, _I wonder what her interests are?…_

And then I'd curse myself for allowing this girl to take over my thoughts so completely that she was even intruding on my dates. So, I'd drag my attention back in to Jessica and listen for about five more seconds before I ended up welcoming the intrusion once again.

Finally, our time was up and when the waiter offered us a dessert menu, I just barely restrained an immediate, "DEAR GOD, NO!"

Instead, I smiled at Jessica politely, pausing for her answer. She, of course, declined, and the clock hands began to move backwards as I impatiently waited on the check. I struggled not to appear too eager as I fumbled with my wallet, but my credit card was ready when the waiter returned.

We left the restaurant, but when we reached the sidewalk, she stopped, gazing up at me expectantly. Did she want a parting kiss? I glanced briefly at her lips, noting their thin blandness when placed in comparison to…_ Damn it._ I pulled her in for an awkward side-hug instead, mumbling that it was nice to meet her. A few generic comments later and I was finally in my car, alone with my thoughts of MG…

***************

By the time I sat down for coffee with Jasper the next day, all of my annoyances from my 'date' had given way to resigned amusement. With detail, I relayed the events of the evening for his entertainment while he sipped his drink and listened, filling out a crossword puzzle.

"So instead of kissing her goodnight, you basically gave her a man-hug and threw the deuces?" Jasper laughed loudly.

"Huh, I guess I did." I chuckled lightly in response. My mind began to wander, considering how differently the night might have ended if I'd been with who I'd really wanted to spend my time.

"What's up, Edward?" Jasper's voice startled me out of a silence I hadn't realized I'd settled into.

"Huh?" was my intelligent response.

"You kind of checked out on me there. Seems to be happening quite a bit lately. So, what's up?" He set down his puzzle and placed his elbows on the armrests, bringing his clasped hands against his chin.

If there was anyone I could count on to talk some sense into my brain or snap me out of this ridiculous…whatever it was, it would be Jasper. Sure I could talk to Emmett, but he was more likely than not to just use this situation as ammo for embarrassment when I least expected it.

"Alright. Just remember, you asked for this," I warned him.

He rolled his eyes and gestured for me to continue.

"Well, you remember that girl I mentioned on Tuesday? The one I met at the bar?"

"The five minute wonder? Yeah, I remember."

I smiled. "Well, I've actually seen her around before…" Jasper raised an eyebrow but said nothing. "On campus a couple of times, and where she works…"

"Wait, and you still don't know her name?"

I let out a humorless laugh, conceding silently, running my hands through my hair in frustration. It really _was _ridiculous that I hadn't asked her…

"Wow," Jasper muttered.

My head snapped up at that. "What?"

"Nothing." He sipped his drink quietly while I stared at him, waiting. "It's just… I don't know. I can't remember you ever being quite like this over some girl."

"Do you ever go into Trax?" I asked suddenly, ignoring the truth in his statement. I was going completely stupid over this woman, but I was beyond caring.

Jasper froze for a moment before shifting uncomfortably.

"You know, the music store next door?" I continued.

"Yeah," he answered tentatively.

"Well," I paused, "that's where she works."

"Huh…" was Jasper's only reply. He reached for his tea, sipping thoughtfully. "What does she look like?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

"Oh, man, Jas, she's gorgeous," I responded immediately, apparently unable to contain my relief at finally being able to talk about her out loud. "She's got this long, beautiful brown hair, and I swear, I've never seen brown eyes look so pretty…"

Jasper seemed to relax immediately and a wide smile lifted his mouth. He then did something unexpected… He _laughed _at me.

"Dude, what? Fuck you," I grumbled. His amusement at my fawning wasn't funny.

"Edward, you…" He trailed off in laughter again and I was starting to get a little pissed off. Just as I was about to grab my things and stalk off, he stood up abruptly.

Staring at him in confusion, I wondered if I wasn't the only one who'd lost his mind.

"Come on, man," he said, still smiling and shaking his head. Without another word, he then turned and headed for the exit. _What the hell? _I grabbed my bag, catching up with him quickly.

"Where the hell are we going?" I demanded, still annoyed with him. He only laughed in response. "And what the fuck is so funny?" I pressed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He quickly quieted his laughter as we exited the café, but said no more.

And then, he turned to the right and I realized immediately where we were headed.

"Hey, Jazz," I started. I was growing nervous all of a sudden. "What exactly are we doing?" I asked, though I knew full well what the hell we were doing.

He continued to ignore me and swiftly pulled open the door to Trax, leaving me no option but to follow in behind him. _Oh, shit._ What exactly was Jasper's big plan here? What, was he just going to shove me in her direction if she was on shift? Did I want her to see me today? What if she thought I _was_ stalking her? _Shit… Damn it… Shit… _Shows what you get for confiding in your "best friend." _Shit._

We passed the registers at the entrance and I glanced in the direction of where I'd seen her before, but she wasn't there.

And I was trailing behind him, half-hidden like some coward, straightening the hem of my tee and running a hand self-consciously through my hair. My heart was already starting to race at the prospect of seeing her… Was she here?

"Jasper!" I heard a voice call out. _Her _voice. _Shit. _She _was_ here.

_But, wait—What? Jasper? He...he actually knows her? _I tried to wrap my head around this news. Memories of that voice breathing a 'hello' in my ear emerged, making concentration on anything difficult.

But there she was, apparently in the midst of trying on various pairs of sunglasses from a display on a nearby countertop.

"Hey, darlin'. How are you?" he asked, friendly and comfortable.

I suppressed the tiny flame of jealousy that appeared with the familiarity in his address.

She peered into a small circular mirror that accompanied the rack and scrunched her nose as she judged the large-framed white pair perched on her face. _Damn. Just as pretty as I remembered, and so damn cute…_ She was still examining her reflection when I stepped out from behind Jasper.

"Oh, I'm good. Just trying out some of these ridiculous sunglasses we just got in. What do you-"

At that moment she looked up from the mirror, meeting my eyes and finally registering that Jasper wasn't alone. Immediately snatching the sunglasses from her face, she laughed nervously as a bright blush colored her cheeks. Our eyes met again until she broke contact, her gaze flickering back and forth between myself and Jasper. She was so pretty, a little knit cap resting crookedly on her head, the straps of a gray tank top peeking out of her tight yellow shirt. Our eyes met then, holding for another second longer than polite. I couldn't look away, and I sincerely hoped my appearance didn't seem creepy or… stalkerish? It had barely been a week…

But she didn't seem put off… and she was so pretty… and I really couldn't take my eyes off of her, and I wondered how long we could stare when her eyes finally darted down. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear nervously as her eyes lowered once more. Was she… shy? Embarrassed?

And yet again, I realized her reaction to me was different than James and the Bike Douche… That could only mean good things for me… and I could already feel a smile coming to my face. MG was… interested, too…

"Sweetheart?" Jasper prompted when she still hadn't finished her question. He almost sounded amused. And I was seriously going to have to ask him how well they knew each other, exactly…

"Hi," she said finally, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. _Oh, mother of-…not the lips again…_

"Hi." I prayed my voice would remain steady. "It's nice to see you again."

"Oh!" Jasper reminded us of his presence. "You guys… Do you guys know each other?" he asked innocently, pointing between us and concealing his smirk. I met his gaze and he fucking _winked_ at me. _Clever, rat bastard…_ I would consider thanking him after I found out the…_depth_ of their familiarity.

"Kind of," she replied. She laughed softly.

"But we haven't been formally introduced," I prompted Jasper. How many times was it that I'd seen her, and only now were there formal introductions taking place?

"Oh! Well, Edward, this is the lovely Bella Swan. Bella, this is my good friend, Edward Cullen."

_Bella…_ _Bella… _Of course. _Bella…_

She extended her hand first and I took it lightly in my own. The moment we touched again, that same rush of heat and tingling I had felt back in the bar prickled my hand. I wasn't sure what it was exactly, but I felt the smile on my face grow impossibly wider, mirroring hers.

"Bella." It felt so good to say her name. "It's wonderful to meet you."

"Edward," she said softly. I never thought I'd enjoy the sound of my old-fashioned name so much. "Yes, it's very nice to meet you, too. Officially, that is."

I couldn't help laughing at that. I reluctantly released her hand, realizing that we'd probably surpassed the time limit of a normal handshake. Not that she'd seemed to mind either…

"So, how do you and Jasper know each other?"

"Oh, Jasper and I go way back," she said with a giggle. "He's one of our _best_ customers." Bella looked to Jasper then, who was suddenly looking a tad uncomfortable. "Isn't that right, Jazz?"

"But of course," he recovered quickly. "You know how I live for this establishment's fine collection of eclectic tuneage and your stimulatin' conversation," he said with a wink, thickening his Texan drawl. I noted this brand of finesse was unlike his usual social flirtation. He was laying on the charm, and I vaguely considered its near rivalry with Emmett's claims of the Cullen inheritance…

"Speaking of, there was a CD I've been meaning to look for…" He turned from the counter, smirking when she couldn't see his face. My initial unease at their familiarity with each other gave way to amusement and gratitude for Jasper's not-so-covert attempt to give us a chance to speak one-on-one. Without another word, he strolled away and headed to the aisle on the opposite side of the store.

Bella laughed, shaking her head at him. His conspicuous attempt did not go unnoticed by her either, and I wondered what she thought of that. Thankfully, she seemed as amused as I was and not at all uncomfortable.

"And how about you? How do you guys know each other?" she asked, her voice sweet and polite. Our eyes stayed connected as we talked, each of us unwilling to look away.

"We had a class together a couple years ago when he was working on his undergrad at U-Dub. I think I may have seen you around campus before…" I said. "Are you a student there as well?"

"I am."

I didn't know why having her confirm what I already knew made me happy. "You've actually caught me in the middle of some studying." She gestured to where a book lay open, face down on the counter at her elbow. As if I'd noticed anything but her.

"What are you reading?" I peered at the book, trying to read the title upside down.

"Just something I have a paper due on." She flipped it right side up and slid it over the counter to me. I lifted it, examining the familiar cover.

"Kipling's _Kim_. Interesting." _Please add Intelligence to Bella's List of Fuckawesometastic Qualities. Check. _"The Great Game and a quest for Enlightenment," I muttered. "Are you an English major?" I couldn't imagine a general literary course requiring this reading.

"Yep, I'm a book nerd," she grinned and nodded her head at the book in my hands. "Do you know it?"

"Yeah, I read it once. It was good for the whole, espionage theme and the look into Indian culture. It's hard to separate Kipling's personal views from the reality of the times, though…"

She raised her eyebrows, looking a little surprised that I was familiar with the book.

_Damn it… Shut up, Edward. Why the hell are you rambling? She probably knows all this shit already and then some, and you just sound like you're trying to be a know-it-all douchebag. _

"It's true, you can find hints at his Imperialist views everywhere. Huh," she shook her head a little and grinned, "I may have to pick your brain sometime."

Even her little offhand comment had me desperately hoping for future encounters. You know, of the _intentional_ kind.

"Any time," I laughed. "Though I doubt I'd have much to offer by way of literary knowledge." _Anatomy, on the other hand…_

I handed the book back to her and her fingertips grazed mine when she took it. Bella hesitated for just a bit before taking the book completely, a small smile gracing her lips. She liked that little innocent touch, too…

She set the book down and took in a deep breath, exhaling quickly before speaking again. "So…what about you, Edward? What's your major?"

I felt a small thrill again at hearing her say my name. _Jesus, if I'm this bad in normal conversation... Focus. _ "I'm on the pre-med track."

"Ahh, so you're gonna be a doctor, huh? Nice," she nodded. "Well, I absolutely sucked at Biology, so I would be of no use to you there!" she laughed. "But I'm pretty sure I'd look damn cute in a lab coat," Bella said playfully, grinning.

I laughed loudly at that, picturing that image quite vividly. I could just see it buttoned down to…

"Oh, I'm positive you would," I couldn't help saying aloud, still chuckling. She laughed with me, our gazes never straying._ Yes. She is most definitely flirting. Thank God._

That was it. I needed to see her again after this. I needed to talk to her more, to test out this connection. I was starting to believe it might be real.

"Would you like to—"I began to offer.

"Bellaaaaa!" My request for a simple coffee date was cut off by a feminine voice calling out from some region at the back of the store.

The frustrated look that flickered across Bella's face mirrored exactly how I felt. I stared, watching her eyebrows furrow.

"Bellaaaa, if you're not busy, I neeeed yooouu!" the voice called again, and I realized it must belong to the other employee I'd seen her working with the previous week.

"Damn it," she muttered. She looked at me apologetically. "Sorry. Duty calls."

"Oh, no problem," I said lightly, trying not to show my disappointment, too. Yet again, our time was cut short.

"It was really nice talking to you," she said and was smiling again.

_Damn, that smile…_

"Definitely." My sudden nerve to ask her to coffee dissipated as quickly as it had arrived. _Why was I making such a big deal out of this?_ "Maybe I'll see you around?" I said as she started walking backwards towards a door along the back wall. _Invite her out… ask her… No Trax, no bar…_ I wanted that, badly, and the urge to say something began to push me forward again. _But wait… she's walking away… and wait…_ does_ she have a boyfriend or something?_

"Yeah. Maybe," Bella grinned, still backing away.

"Bye, Jasper!" she called out to him where he was still 'searching.' I saw him wave goodbye with a smirk upon his face. My gaze immediately went back to Bella.

"Bye, Edward," she said quietly, giving me a softer smile. Hearing her say my name again was so..._nice_…

"See ya, Bella," I finally found my voice.

She was halfway to the door before she finally turned her back to me, looking over her shoulder one last time, still smiling widely. She gave a small wave before disappearing through the doorway.

I heard a chuckle from behind me and I turned slowly to face Jasper.

"Come on now, Edward. Time to go home. The pretty girl will still be here tomorrow," he teased.

I shot him a quick look that said, 'Shut the hell up, asshole,' but couldn't keep it there for long. My smile was already forming, and I was pretty sure it would soon be permanently etched on my features.

We stepped back out into the late afternoon sun as I considered my latest encounter with Bella.

_How fitting a name…_ I smiled to myself, ignoring Jasper's smirks as we headed to our cars.

_Bella. _No longer just a 'Mystery Girl,' save for all the discoveries that remained for me to make.

Jasper and I parted ways and I slid into my car, stupid half-smile still firmly in place.

As I drove, I thought happily, _Well, what did we learn today, Ed? _

First, Bella was as impossibly beautiful and charming as she'd appeared to be in all our previous encounters, even despite my slightly-inebriated state last Friday. In addition, she appeared intelligent and had even settled into a confidence that was neither overbearing nor pushy. Yet even that was still tinged by an endearing shyness.

Each of those reactions was at odds with the way I'd seen her deal with both James and the Bike Douche. In one case, that was reassuring. I had affected her like neither of them seemed to, and her reactions were encouraging… she _was_ interested. But on the other side, the blushing sweetness denoted nervousness, and I wanted her to laugh with me like she'd laughed with BD. And though the enigma of his exact relation to her still remained, as long as Bella was going to keep up her flirty ways with me, who was I to stand aside?

_So what's the next order of business, O Smooth One?_

Well, I wasn't going to go running to Em and Rose gushing over my latest crush like some thirteen year-old girl, but I _was _going to tell Rose exactly where she could shove those blind dates, should the need arise. I really wanted to get to know _Bella,_ and I was more resolved than I'd ever been in pursuing a girl, though perhaps that was because I wasn't accustomed to being the one doing the pursuing.

But damn it, the next time I saw Bella, _wherever_ the hell _that_ would be (because really, who the hell knew?), I was going to man the fuck up, call on the Cullen Charm, and hope for the best.

_Damn straight, you are!_

For the rest of the drive home…hell, for the rest of the night… I replayed the scene from the store in my head, using Bella's smiles and coy comments to steel my nerves.

_Bella... Beautiful... _

Indeed.

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**So, whatcha think?**

**We are going absolutely NUTS over all the feedback you all are giving us, so please, feed our addictions and continue to R&R! Perhaps Dawn will be sending out a teaser for Nic's chapter along with her replies? Hmm…**

**Don't forget to follow the linkage on our profiles to see the outfits in all their glory, and to hear some tuneage from the playlist! Songs are pretty much in order as you follow the story…**

**Last order of business: Dawn has already done a rec' of the week, but there is another that we are DYING to draw some attention to!**

**One of our Loveliest of Lovely Betas, ahealthyaddiction, JUST started posting her own story, "Disciplined Breakdown"! It's only the prologue right now, but she already has a lot of it written, just waiting to be posted! The writing is *incredibly* beautiful and your attention is drawn from the VERY FIRST LINE. You will finish this first post a bit stunned with so many questions and a craving for MORE. So please, check it out here: ****http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/s/5146524/1/Disciplined_Breakdown**

**Okay, really, we'll shut up now. Geez. Until next time! *mwah***


	6. Dreams, Flirting and Frat Boys?

**Why, hello there girls! *sprinkles kisses* We've missed you :)**

**Wait, what… an OTIOL update? Your eyes are not deceiving you, we're back! No excuses, it just took a long while to get this done. You'll see why ;) So, our dear Spunkella has some things to say. She's been whispering in Nic's ear, all hot and bothered over Edward… Get in line Toots, get in line.**

**Do you know that we have the two most magical, fuckawesome betas in the land? We do. Vixen1836 and ahealthyaddiction are fantabulous, and you should go read anything they write, because we love them. Hard.**

**As always, playlist is on our profiles (last four songs), and the outfits have been updated (with chapter numbers and character names for those who asked) as well!**

**SMeyer made it, we just borrow her creations.**

**Nic owns: Every Disney Princess DVD (What?! Like you don't?) and a decent supply of dark chocolate. YUM!!**

**Dawn owns: Six, one-dollar DVDs with a bunch of old school Merry Melodies cartoons on them, and an unopened box of Twilight Sweethearts Conversation Hearts.**

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**Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. - Carl Yung

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The rain poured outside, falling with the beat of the Bush song pouring through my speakers. I was sticking around the house today, trying to finish up a short paper due next week. Alice peeked in on me from time to time, always bringing with her a cup of coffee. She knew I couldn't write without a good caffeine buzz.

I bent over my laptop, tapping my foot to the mellow playlist I'd created, enjoying the way the music inspired my thoughts and creativity. There were several passages I still had to read from my book, but I was already ahead of schedule.

As I finally saved my last draft, I glanced over at my clock. 6:42 p.m. Yep, that had taken up most of my Sunday.

I powered down my laptop and headed out to the living room. I wanted to ask Alice what she wanted to do now that I was all finished, but she wasn't there.

"Alice, where are you?" I called out.

"In the kitchen!"

I stopped in the doorway the moment I saw her, taking in Alice's appearance. She was not in her pajamas, as I figured she would be. She was dressed to go out.

"Where are you going?"

She smiled widely, "Demitri called while you were working on your paper. I didn't know when you'd be finished, and he wanted to go out…"

"Oh, okay. It's not a big deal." I reassured her. I wouldn't be much company anyway, as tired as I was from the long day of studying.

She peered at me timidly. "You aren't mad, are you?" she asked. I shook my head no and she continued, "I know we said that we'd hang out tonight, but he finally has a free night…so…"

"No, Alice. It's really fine." I assured her, laughing at how contentious she was being. "I think I'm going to go to bed early, anyway. I had a long day. Go out," I urged her. "Have some fun!"

Smiling at my encouragement, she hugged me goodbye before heading out to her car.

_Hmmm,_ _why wasn't he meeting her here? Why she was driving herself?_Figuring I'd ask her when she got in, (or if I was already asleep, tomorrow morning), I headed towards the couch, needing to relax for a while.

As I flipped through the television channels looking for something to watch, I thought of my wonderful surprise visit from Jasper and Edward on Thursday. While I wasn't shocked to see Jasper there, as I always saw him on Tuesdays and Thursdays, the appearance of Edward had taken me by surprise.

I'd looked up from playing with the new shipment of sunglasses that Alice had ordered to greet Jasper, and he had been standing there with him. I'd been kicking myself for almost a week up to that point for not asking Green Eyes his name during our encounter at Cats. No, I'd been far too focused on playing coy to be sensible.

As our eyes locked, a heated blush hit my face and I'd looked down for a moment to collect myself before speaking to him.

I didn't know what it was about him that weakened my defenses so, but it unnerved me. There was just something about the way he looked at me that made my heart race. Perhaps it was those damn good looks of his, or the way his eyes sparkled in amusement as he stared at me unashamedly.

_Not that you weren't staring back just as hard..._

That was true. I was unable to take my eyes off of him, then or any time he was near. I'd thanked my lucky stars when Jasper had done the introductions.

_Edward…_ I liked the way his name rolled around in my head. It was kind of old fashioned, but I happened to like old fashioned things. Some of my favorite literary characters were named Edward, and I _may_have swooned for a brief moment.

_Yeah, right! You swooned all night, dork…_

He was so cute that day, flirting right back at me, matching me quip for quip. I was happy to see that the game I had started was picking up. And when Jasper had tried to be sly, saying he was going to go check on a CD, I knew better. He was sneaking off to scope the store and try and catch a glimpse of Alice, which only meant he would be back and maybe with Edward again. I also figured that he was doing us a nice favor by leaving Edward and I some time to speak alone, and for that I was also grateful.

Within a matter of minutes, I found out enough to keep me interested beyond physical attraction. Edward was smart and I had been impressed by his knowledge of the book I was reading, and his take on it had given me a few ideas to follow up on while researching my paper. The end result had come out much better than I had planned, all thanks to him.

His deep, rich laugh when I'd made the joke about looking cute in a lab coat was embedded in my brain. His head thrown back, the tendons of his strong neck contracting and releasing… I was mesmerized at the sight. I had never noticed that before on a man, but I noticed it on him and all week, that detail, and his deep, rich voice had me wondering when I could_notice_ him again.

He really was sexy, and I didn't even think he was trying.

I was wary over how caught up I was over him, thinking of him so often. This wasn't my style when it came to guys. I enjoyed casual dating, maybe more if the situation felt right. I certainly wasn't one to get caught up and over the moon about someone, so my reactions to him… the constant thoughts, the random blushes, the pull toward him… they were unsettling to me.

Once again, I tried to determine what it was about him that had me so intrigued.

Also, I wondered if I was his _usual_ type of girl… And if I wasn't, what could I do to stick out in his mind? He came off confident, so playful and charming. He'd had to build that persona up somehow… Did he date around, or was that just natural for him? I didn't know enough about him to point to his character, but he _seemed_ like a good guy. His cute smiles, the little touches, and general 'getting to know you' questions were… nice.

The buzzing of my phone next to me broke me out of my thoughts. Focusing back on the present, I looked at the screen, smiling as I slid it open.

"Hi Dad, what's up?"

I heard the unmistakable sound of a game playing in the background. Smiling fondly, I imagined Charlie in his recliner, watching the Sunday night game.

"Hi Kid," he greeted me. "Just calling to see how you are. How're your classes going?"

My dad's voice instantly made me smile, and I sank further into the couch and hugged my knees up to my chest. I knew what he was doing… It was endearing, the way he found random reasons to call me. He missed me, but had a hard time showing his emotions. I was like him in that respect. "They're going good, Dad. I just finished working on a paper that's due soon."

"That's my girl, always ahead of schedule." I could hear the grin in his voice, and I smiled too. While I enjoyed the freedom that college life offered me, I missed my dad a lot. We were all each other really had for so long, and I worried about him now that I wasn't there every day. Was he eating well? Did he have any clean clothes? He couldn't cook to save his life, so I assumed he headed to the diner more than was actually good for him. And inevitably, when I did make the somewhat regularly scheduled trek home, there would always be a mountain of laundry waiting on me.

I'd gotten so used to taking care of him over the years: cooking his meals, doing his laundry, or just making sure he was happy. It was just our way.

I focused back in on the conversation. "So, what's new? How's fishing? Catch any big ones?" I giggled a bit. He and Billy went out on the boat every chance they got, and as were growing up Jakey and I were always being told some "whopper catch" story.

"Damn skippy, Kid!" he snickered. "Billy and I had trouble hauling this one catch in the boat yesterday." He paused, before continuing, "Bells, you gonna be home for Thanksgiving?"

"Of course," I assured him. "Why wouldn't I come home?"

"Well, I thought you might stay at school with Alice…" he trailed off. He must have been lonely; Thanksgiving was more than a month away.

"Yeah right, and leave you to cook for yourself?" I scoffed. "I don't think so. I was actually planning on coming home for a few days," I assured him.

There was no way I would leave him alone there for Thanksgiving. I could just see it now; Charlie, a hungry man T.V. dinner**,**and a beer spread out before him as he watched whatever football game was on. Not a happy sight.

I supposed Charlie could have gone to one of his friend's places for a home cooked meal and companionship, with Billy or maybe even Sue Clearwater. Sue was the widow of one of my dad's long time friends, Harry, who had died while I was in my last year of high school. She was a nice lady who always made sure Billy and my dad had a home cooked meal every once in a while, often inviting them over to dinner or for a barbeque

"Oh, are you going to bring Jake down with you?" He asked. "I know Billy sure misses him, and I'd hate to think of him making the trek down here on that damn bike of his." As a cop, Charlie was vehemently opposed to motorcycles. Charlie always worried about me making the trip home, always worrying that I'd run out of gas, or the truck would break down and I'd be stranded somewhere. It was a long drive though, and Jakey would make the lengthy drive home fun.

"I'm sure he'll end up catching a ride with me, Dad," I answered. "I haven't actually seen much of him this term. He's been busy adjusting to college life. But I'll ask him, okay? I wouldn't mind the company on the ride down."

"Oh, yeah, make sure you do that," he said gruffly.

We sat in silence for a few moments, and I knew he'd run out of things to say. "Hey," I said, trying to let him off the hook. "I need to print out my paper, and I'm sort of hungry. Can I talk to you later?"

"Yeah honey, that sounds fine," he said. "Be good and take care of yourself. Call if you need anything, all right?"

I rolled my eyes. _Such a worry wart_. "I will."

"Yeah, talk to you soon, kid."

* * *

"Bella," he whispered, his fingers tracing indistinct patterns along my sides, as his lips ghosted over my neck, down to my breasts.

I moaned as his face nuzzled there, his tongue flicking out to lave attention on one breast, his teeth nipping gently while one of his hands moved up to cup the other, massaging the tender, responsive flesh.

His other hand moved from my side down to my waist, gripping it for a moment before moving down lower. His fingers trailed down my thigh, eliciting a shiver from me before latching around the back of my knee. Pulling my leg up, he moved it slowly to the side before settling fully against me.

"Edward," I breathed, my heart racing at the feel of him against me. His mouth trailed a scorching path back up to the spot behind my ear, and my thoughts scattered. "I… I want…"

"What do you want baby," he asked as his tongue traced dizzying patterns against my neck. "All you have to do is ask. I'll give you whatever you want."

He ground himself slowly, terribly and mind-numbingly slowly, against me and I whimpered loudly. I turned my head, seeking his mouth, and was rewarded as his tongue flicked against my own. Our tongues tangled as his hands went around me, pulling me closer to him. One of his hands drifted lower, palming my ass while the other came back around, tracing a path up my arm, to my shoulder before tangling itself in my hair.

We kissed and moved against each other, the only sounds the rustling of the sheets or the moans and whimpers that escaped when one of us touched each other in a way the other liked. The throbbing ache down below only became more exquisitely torturous every time his cock brushed against me.

His hand came back around, drifting past my waist as he moved slightly to the side. He brushed it along my hipbone, once, twice, three times before bringing it lower.

"Mmmm," I moaned as his fingers drifted over my soaked panties, moving underneath them and running once up my slit before coming to rest on my clit. He worked his fingers over me, as his mouth moved back to my breast. Taking the pebbled nipple into his mouth, he sucked it lightly.

My hands drifted up his back, gripping his strong shoulders before they reached his hair. Yanking and pulling at it, I lost myself in the pleasure his fingers were giving me. They alternated patterns, rubbing in slow circles before they drifted down, running over my sensitive flesh before coming back up to work my clit over again.

My hands left his hair, running once more down his back before they settled on his waist. My breathing, now ridiculous pants, sped up as he slipped a finger inside of me, his mouth moving back to mine. His tongue echoed the movements of his fingers, thrusting, twisting, and curling in and around my mouth.

That excited throbbing below hit its pinnacle when he added another finger, and I moaned loudly, my body stiffening before melting into a contented, relaxed puddle, calling his name as I came around his fingers.

He rolled us carefully until I was above him. Bringing my shaking knees to the side of him, I settled myself over him. Leaning forward, I spoke against his lips. "You," I answered throatily. "I want you."

I watched as his mouth parted, and a loud _Beep…Beep…Beep_ sounded, instead of that lush, smooth voice…

It was Wednesday morning and my alarm was blaring at me. Angrily knocking it off of the bedside table, I was satisfied when I heard that blasted noise stop.

Turning over, I stared at the overcast sky through my window, wondering if the sun would make an appearance, and procrastinating on the inevitable. I needed to get out of bed and start my day, but I didn't want to just yet. I had dreamt of Edward at some point in the night, and what a lovely dream it had been…

Until the stupid alarm interrupted, that is.

Sighing, I got out bed with the sleepy fatigue still fogging my brain and a litany of delicious memories of the dream I'd had slipping away fast, like water slipping from my cupped hands.

I wondered if I'd see him today. I didn't know where his classes were in relation to mine. This made _accidentally_ bumping into him a not so easily accomplished task. Although… I wasn't above hanging around different parts of campus to make that _accidental_ run-in a reality. Trying to guess which dorm he lived in, or if he even lived on campus at all was another conundrum. He was Pre-Med, so obviously he was a serious student. He probably spent a great deal of time studying… _Hmmm_. Maybe I could hang around the libraries more.

Giving my overworked brain (especially for this early in the morning) a rest, I refocused on my wardrobe. If I did by chance bump into him… the very possibility was enough to have me second guessing my clothing options. I wanted him to notice me as much ad I'd noticed him, and clothes were definitely part of that factor. He was supremely good looking, so I'm sure he had girls throwing themselves at him.

I wanted to stand out from the rest.

Stumbling over to my closet, a pair of destroyed jeans caught my attention and I quickly paired them with a ruffled white cami from the bottom of my closet. My scoop neck dark blue cardigan was the perfect addition and my white bag and blue heels completed the masterpiece.

A laugh bubbled out of my throat as I gathered my clothes. In high school, I'd never cared what people thought of the way I'd dressed. I doubted someone like Edward would have even glanced my way then. Now though… well, now I liked to 'Dress to Impress'. The more confident Bella in me liked when guys noticed her, and _damn_, did I want to be noticed by Edward.

I needed warm water to wake me, so I took a quick shower and dried my hair before curling some sections and pulling them into a clip. Smiling at my reflection in the mirror, I realized that I was certainly going all out today. Cute clothes, curled hair… I was angling to be noticed. I went minimal with my makeup, but played up my eyes with some pretty brown shadow and a few coats of mascara. I always got compliments on my eyes and there was no harm in playing up a good feature.

Satisfied, I collected my things for classes. Alice always made coffee in the mornings, so I headed to see if she was in the kitchen.

"Good morning," she sang, already chipper. She'd probably had a cup or two already.

"Morning," I greeted her as I grabbed a thermal mug out of the cabinet, and set about adding cream and sugar to my coffee. "How was your night? I didn't hear you come in."

"Oh, it was wonderful," she gushed. "We went to this great little place downtown and had a few drinks. I really like him!"

She was all happy, smiling like it was Christmas morning. I didn't want to burst her bubble so I just _oohed_and _aahed_ at all the right spots as she went into detail about how great Demitri was: He was so cute, and so fun. He had the coolest car, and knew all sorts of people... I really hoped that I was wrong about him for her sake. However, as she went on and on extolling his virtues, I couldn't help but remember my initial reaction to him. He had seemed sleazy, like he had a secret.

"Sounds like you had fun," I said as I gathered my things. "Hey, I've gotta go. I'll see you at work."

"Alright, have a good day! Oh, I like your outfit, very cute." She winked at me before she turned and headed towards her room.

That made me happy. Alice the fashion guru approved of my outfit. It had taken years to get her to leave me alone, to let me dress myself. Every time she complimented my choices now, a feeling of pride swelled up. And if she thought I looked good… Yep, I hoped I'd run into Edward sometime today.

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I parked in a different spot today. I'd been doing it ever since my last run in with James, trying to avoid him as much as I could. It normally threw me a bit off schedule, but it was worth it to avoid the hassle. I made it to my class with only seconds to spare, so I grabbed a seat toward the back of the room.

Really, I tried to pay attention, but eventually my mind drifted to thoughts of Edward. He'd been perfection in that dream I'd had. His lean, toned body…the way the tendons of his neck stretched to those shoulders, shoulders that seemed strong and broad, despite his sinewy build… Could the reality be half as good as the dream?

He'd been so… attentive in the dream. Was he that way in actuality? And would I get the chance to find out?

_God, I hope so._

The clearing of the Professor's throat made me realize I had spaced out once again, and I looked up to an empty classroom. I hurriedly tossed my things into my bag and made my way out of the room, pausing to nod at him before walking out the door.

With about an hour or so before my next class, I started heading toward the quad to grab a spot on the lawn. As I was all about the _accidental_run in today, this seemed like a good place to start. I was almost positive there were some biology classes or something around here... Along the way, I popped in a small café to grab bottled water and something to snack on. The weather was still overcast, but thankfully there was no rain yet.

Snagging a spot, I grabbed my iPod and a book out of my bag. I was a few pages into my reading when a shadow fell over my page. Looking up, I was startled to see _Edward_. A smile slowly made its way onto my face, the realization that my planning had paid off seeping into my consciousness.

"Mind if I join you?" He gestured to the ground around me, and I shook my head. I pulled my earbuds out and marked my page, setting my book to the side. "Hello Bella," he said in that same smooth voice from my dreams, still smiling, "how are you?"

He settled down next to me, bringing one knee up to rest his elbow.

"Hello _Edward_," I teased him, drawing his name out slightly as a joke, but also because I liked the way it sounded. "I'm good." _Now that you're here…_

"What are you reading this time?"

"The life of an English major," I said, rolling my eyes. "I usually have my nose stuck in a book, but this time I'm reading for fun." I showed him the cover of the Stephen King novel and he studied it for a bit before admitting that he hadn't read it.

God, he was adorable. He was dressed in a fitted light blue button down, which he wore untucked from his light, faded jeans. I caught a hint of grey peeking out from his collar. He carried a jacket with him, slung over the side of his messenger bag. His hair stuck up in that casual disarray that I was becoming accustomed to. I smiled, noticing his choice of footwear, and he noticed.

Edward lifted his foot, examining his shoe. "Do I have something there?"

"No," I laughed. I tried to speak again, but I couldn't.

"Alright, what's so funny?" He pressed.

"Nothing," I hedged, "just a random thought." I pressed my lips together, suppressing the giggle that I felt bubbling up.

"Won't you tell me?" He pleaded. When I shook my head, playfully pretending to zip my lips, he chuckled, "Okay, but I'll get it out of you eventually you know…"

"Maybe," I teased. Taking a chance, I continued with my flirting. "You have to earn my secrets, Edward."

His head cocked to the side as he appraised me. "That sounds like a challenge, Miss Swan. And I never back down from a challenge…" His voice had gone down a few octaves, silky smooth and enticing.

_Shit! Was it just me, or did it get warmer out here all of a sudden?_

Resisting the urge to fan myself, I soldiered on. "Hmm… neither do I. Maybe you've met your match Edward."

"Maybe." He agreed.

Our eyes had been locked this whole time and I started to feel a bit self conscious. Grabbing my water bottle and taking a small sip, I looked away. Not wanting to seem shy, but feeling a twinge of some old insecurity, I took a moment to compose myself.

Tamping down those feelings, I gave myself a mental reassurance. He had seen me sitting here and made the decision to come over and talk to me. He had sought me out, too. And he was flirting right back…

"So, Edward," I started, once I'd got myself back under control. I looked back to him, noticing a contemplative expression on his face. "What made you want to become a doctor?"

I liked the fact that he was an intellectual. I was a serious student too, and the fact that he seemed to be as well gave us something in common. I'd had some less than stellar experiences with guys who were only interested in partying their way through college, more interested in the next big campus _shindig_ than they were in actually going to their _classes_ on campus. Or the James' of this world, more interested in their fraternity than they were in anyone else.

He looked thoughtful for a moment before his face broke into a heartwarming smile, his eyes crinkling up a bit. "Well, mainly because of my dad," he explained. I noted the reverent tone his voice took while speaking of his dad. "He's a doctor too."

"Oh, really?" I asked. "That's pretty cool."

"Yeah," he said enthusiastically. This was obviously something he liked to talk about. I made a mental note to ask him more about this, hopefully, later. "Gonna follow in the old man's footsteps."

I snickered as I thought about following in _my_ dad's footsteps. "I'd follow after my dad, but I don't think I'm meant to be a cop." I winked at him, and sipped some more of my water. Turning back to him, I noticed that he was once again watching me. Feeling the butterflies start thrumming around my stomach I screwed the cap back on my bottle and ordered my thoughts.

"I don't know that I could pull off intimidating." I tried to put a stern face on, but he laughed at me, so it probably didn't work.

"Your dad's a police officer?" He queried, looking very amused.

"Mhmm," I was slightly distracted by the small smile playing at his lips. I remembered my dream suddenly, and the wicked things those lips had done…

He cleared his throat, one corner of his mouth quirking up; he may have caught where my gaze was directed. I felt the tell-tale heating of my cheeks, and hurriedly took another sip of water. Watching the amusement settle over his face, I sighed softly. It seemed the boy brought out my blush, and no amount of wishful thinking was going to stop it.

"I bet your Dad had a hell of a time scaring the boys who picked you up for dates." He laughed, settling his hands behind him as he stretched out his long legs.

I felt the corner of my lips pulling down into a small frown, and he noticed. "I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?

"No, it was nothing," I cast my eyes down, an old feeling of weakness settling over me, and played with a blade of grass. I felt a slight warmth in my cheeks as I internally questioned whether he would have thought the same thing if he knew me then, versus the more confident girl he was talking to now. "I actually didn't date much in high school, so Charlie never got the chance to pull out the scary dad routine." I looked back up at him to see a disbelieving look on his face.

"I somehow find that very hard to believe." He reached his hand out, tucking a piece of hair that had fallen from my clip back behind my ear. "Why wouldn't a girl as pretty as you are date?" His hands lingered a moment on my skin, and the butterflies kicked into high gear.

The elation that washed over me at the knowledge that he did indeed appreciate the way I looked was warring with the deep rooted insecurities that high school had instilled in me. The last mental image I wanted to give him was of a painfully shy nerd. I seriously doubted this guy had ever struggled with his self image. He always seemed so cool, calm and collected. Yet again, I wondered if he would have given me a second glance back then.

No. He just said that he thought I was pretty. That should be enough. Pushing the damaging thoughts away, I took a deep breath, giving him a small smile. "No, really, I didn't date much. Small town, ya know? Not a lot of choices." I deflected, shrugging as I took another sip of my water.

"Ah, I see. Small town huh? What was that like?"

"Boring," I said, rolling my eyes. "I prefer it here. There wasn't much to do around the town I grew up, and here… I can always find something to do."

"Yeah, Seattle is nice. I'm from Chicago originally." His expression turned wistful, and I guessed he was reliving memories of home.

"Chicago? What brought you to Seattle?" I knew there were a few good schools around the Chicago area, and was surprised that anyone would willingly come to this damp corner of the planet just _because_.

"Well, my brother actually came to school here first." His eyes lit up at the thought of his brother, similar to the way they did when he spoke of his father. I figured they must be very close. I'd always wanted a sibling, but that obviously hadn't been in Renee's plans. I'd made do with the boys from La Push though. They were as close to big brothers as you could get.

Before my thoughts could get _too_far away from me, I focused more on what he was saying. There was nothing that could put me in a negative mood faster than dredging up things I'd been denied because of Renee's selfishness.

"…so when he joined, he dragged me right along with him." He finished, and I realized I must have missed a chunk of his explanation.

_Shit!_

Scrambling for something to cover my obvious distraction, I spit out the first thing that came to my mind. Unfortunately, it was nowhere near in relation to the topic at hand. "So, how did you like that CD?"

His face turned puzzled, and a crease formed in the middle of his eyebrows. "What CD?"

"You know… umm… the one you bought the other day? From Trax…?" I trailed off, feeling like a tool. Here he was telling me about his brother, and I hijack the conversation with a completely unrelated question. _I swear…_

"Oh, yeah. Actually…" His hand rose from his knee to ruffle through his hair, and he seemed nervous. "It was a band that I'd never heard before. The cover, uh… caught my eye."

_Huh._

"Oh, really?" Now I was intrigued by what could have caused his obvious nervousness. "What band was it, maybe I know them." I prodded.

"Ah, I do believe you owe me a secret too. Care to share first?" He quipped.

_Sneaky little shit._He had me and he knew it. _Well played sir, well played._

"Hmm, seems we are at an impasse then." There was no way I was telling him about how I had a thing for his footwear. Creepy much?

He drew in a deep breath, straightening his posture. "Bella, do you want to hang out some time?"

He watched my face intently as I thought about it. I let him sweat for a few moments before I answered.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked. There was no way in _hell_ I was saying no, but he had made me curious.

"My brother and I live off campus, and we're throwing a Halloween party next Saturday. I was wondering if you'd like to come and hang out for a while."

So he _did_ live off campus. Well, that threw out the hanging around different dorms plan I'd been hatching. I wondered where he lived, if it was close to me…

"Hmm…" I started, but he cut me off.

"Jasper is going to be there. He told me that you have a roommate too, maybe you both could come?" He sounded nervous, like he thought I was going to turn him down. I figured it was time to let him off the hook.

"That sounds like fun Edward," I said. "I'd love to come and hang out with you."

_Yes!_My heart took off in a galloping run as the realization that he had asked me out, well sort of, settled over me. Maybe he was just being nice, but I hoped he was a small fraction as interested in me as I was in him. He seemed to be at least…

I watched as his face split into a blinding smile, seemingly happy over my acceptance of his offer. Looking down, he snuck a glance at his watch, and sighed. "Well, I really have to get going," he said, sounding reluctant. "I have to get to class."

"Oh," I glanced at the time on my watch, and realized I too needed to get moving. "I do too. Thanks for the chat. It was… interesting." I couldn't help flirting a little more. He was just so damn attractive. "And, thanks for the invitation," I said softly, placing my hand on his arm. "I'm really looking forward to hanging out with you Edward."

He smiled at my hand on his arm before he made a move to stand. He bent down to me, grabbing my hand lightly in his before helping me to my feet. I swooned; he was definitely a sweet guy. Much more so than what I was used to.

"Hey, before I go, do you want my number? In case you need to know how to get to the party?" he added quickly.

I grabbed my phone out of my bag, and heard him snicker.

"What?" I said, somewhat peeved at him for laughing at me.

"That has to be the girliest phone I have ever seen." He laughed.

Oh, he was laughing at my phone. I looked down at it. It was just a pink slide phone. Nothing special…

"Hey, I like pink," I defended myself. He shook his head at me as he gave me his number. Putting my phone back in my bag, I noticed his eyes wandering over me out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't blush this time. He _was_ noticing me. I did an inner fist-pump over that fact.

_All of my beautifying this morning paid off…_

"So, Edward, do you want my number?" I asked, confident in the notion that he wasn't going to turn me down. He'd definitely been checking me out, and I liked it. "You know, so you know it's me calling?

"Oh, yeah, sure," he grinned. He dug into his bag and held his phone out to me. His hands caught my eye as I remembered all the delicious ways they'd touched me in my dream. His nails were neat, his fingers were long and I watched the tendons there flex for a moment, caught up in fantasies. Until, that is, I saw what he was holding…

I looked at his hand reluctantly, "Um…" I said. "Can I just tell you my number? I have _no_ idea how to work one of those." I nodded towards his phone, and understanding lit his face.

He moved closer to me, leaning over me a bit as I told him my number. My breathing picked up as I reacted to his proximity. Trying to calm myself, I looked up at him and he smiled at me before he turned his attention back to his iPhone. His hand flew over the touch screen, and I thoroughly enjoyed his closeness. He smelled _fucking amazing_. His scent was clean, fresh and warm… it reminded me of sunshine and open waters. It was so undeniably male_._

No, scratch that. It was undeniably_him._I had to stop myself from taking a big whiff of him and embarrassing the hell out of myself.

_Jesus, I want to do bad things to, with and for him._

He finished putting my number into his phone, and stepped back a few feet.

"You know," he said. "You may like pink, but I think I much prefer blue for you." My heart spluttered as his hand reached up, once again tucking an errant piece of hair behind my ear. "Yes," he said, his thumb lingering for just a beat too long on my neck. The skin on my neck tingling at the contact, I watched as his lips parted, the tip of his tongue showing just behind his teeth, "I think you look very nice in blue."

Once again, my dream rushed back to me. My thoughts scattered as I remembered the feel of his lips on mine, and I desperately wanted to know how the real thing would be. I stared at his lips, trying to quell the feelings… this _need_ to kiss him, to compare my fantasies to the reality.

My heart, racing uncontrollably as he removed his hand, twisted as he started on his way. He got a few feet away, before he turned back around. Walking backward, he flashed an adorable half grin at me. "I'll talk to you later?" He questioned.

I smiled and nodded, still trying to control my racing heart. He walked backward a few more steps before nearly colliding with someone. He finally turned, but shot one last glance over his shoulder at me before he turned the corner and was gone from my sight.

Standing there in a daze, I watched him disappear out of my view. My neck was still tingling from his touch, and the riots of butterflies in my stomach were almost painful. Not to mention the other feelings I was having…

_Holy hell, he's dangerous._

As I thought about what had just happened, my mind raced a million miles an hour. It wasn't a _date_ date per se, but he had invited me to spend time with him. That had to be a good sign… or so I hoped. Even though it wasn't one on one time, it would give us a chance to get to know one another more. Also, I'd have Alice and Jasper there with me, which was another plus. If Edward was co-hosting, I was sure he would have to make the rounds and play the gracious host, so I was glad that I'd have someone to talk to while he did.

* * *

I was a little surprised when I walked into work and saw Jasper casually leaning against the counter, talking to Alice. He looked up as the door shut behind me, a happy smile stretching across his face.

"Hi Darlin'. How are you?" His southern drawl was much more pronounced today, and I knew he was laying it on thick for Alice. I'd caught him doing that more than once before.

"I'm good Jas, how are you?" Alice turned away from us and back to some paperwork she had lying in front of her.

"I'm good Darlin'. Sorry to cut this short, but I actually need to be on my way." He grabbed me in a loose hug before turning his attention back to Alice.

"Think about it, okay?" he said.

"Huh… Oh, yeah, I will. I'll let you know." She flashed him a quick grin, and turned her eyes back to me as he made his way out of the store.

"Alice, what was that about? What are you supposed to be thinking about?" I asked warily.

She clapped her hands at me, and then the most heartbreakingly adorable smile settled on her face. "Bella," she sang, "Jasper invited us to a Halloween party at Edward's house!" She drug out Edwards name in a sing song voice, and I couldn't help the smile that sprang to my face.

"Wow, what a coincidence Alice," I teased her. "I was just invited to the very same party." I wiggled my eyebrows at her, and walked around the counter to join her.

"Oh my God! You talked to Edward already?" She asked excitedly.

"I did!" I couldn't help the loud squeal that slipped out. "I was chilling on the quad today during one of my breaks, and he came up to me." I told her.

"Ooh, what did you guys talk about? And he invited you to the party? What did you say?" She was firing rapid fire questions at me and I giggled before I took a moment to process them all.

"First, slow down Alice. You're going to give yourself an aneurism." She rolled her eyes at me as I hopped up onto the counter and waited for me to continue. This would probably take a while.

"Okay, so we talked about a bunch of things; our hometowns, our majors, and some other random things. And yes, he invited _us_ to the party." I stressed the word us, pausing a beat before answering her last question. "I told him I'd have to ask you, but that I _would_like to go."

"You like him, don't you?"

"Yeah Alice, he seems really nice. Plus, um… have you seen him? He's freaking hot!" We just looked at each other before we broke into peals of laughter.

After the giggle fest had subsided and we wiped our faces free of the tears that had escaped, I remembered Jasper's odd question.

"Hey, Al," I started. "Jasper? I didn't know that you two knew each other that well."

"Oh, yeah," She seemed startled by my question. "I've spoken to him a few times. He's a regular customer, ya know?" She shrugged and looked out the window.

"He's a nice guy, huh?" I prodded her, hoping she'd give out more info.

"Yeah," she trailed off and didn't elaborate. "We speak from time to time." _Hmm..._ That was a vague answer coming from Alice. "He was telling me about the party at Edward's place and asking me if we wanted to go."

I felt bad for making her so obviously uncomfortable, and wanted to bring the happy fun of just a few minutes ago back. "Well, speaking of the party," I began. "What time can you leave? Want to go find some costumes?" Shopping always put Alice in a good mood.

"Pftt! You're looking at the woman in charge here, Toots. Let me tell Eric that he's locking up, and we can go now." She went off towards the back room as a customer walked up, so I rang him out while I waited for her to return.

I stole a quick glance at Alice as I handed the customer her receipt, and smiled at her outfit. How I didn't notice it before was beyond me.

_Who was I kidding? I was in Edward Lala Land, that's why…_

She had on an adorable black ruffled skirt and a black cropped sleeve jacket over a hot pink corset. Her leggings were a shiny black material, and her shoes were to die for. They were short boots with a black heel and a hot pink front. They seemed to be made of a bunch of closely woven ribbons. She had slung her big pink bag over her shoulder, and was making her way back to the counter with Eric in tow.

"Ready?" she asked, waiting for me at the door. "I'm driving. That rust bucket of yours scares me."

I just rolled my eyes at her, grabbing my sunglasses from my bag and putting them on as we stepped outside.

* * *

Alice driving was a scary thing, and I almost fell to the ground and kissed it when we made it to the parking lot of the costume shop.

"Shut up, Bella," she sniffed at me.

"I didn't say anything," I defended as we stepped into the shop.

"Yeah, but I know what you're thinking." She said, winking at me. "You were gonna make out with the asphalt."

I just rolled my eyes at her.

"So, Alice, what do you think; is this you?" I asked, holding up a naughty version of an Alice in Wonderland costume.

"Ha-ha, Smartass. Do you really think I'm that lame?" She held a fairy costume up. "Too easy…" she muttered before putting it away.

"Ooh, this would look great on you!" She held up a police woman costume, but I just shook my head at her.

"Alice, my ass would hang out of that. Keep trying," I scolded, moving toward the next rack. There were plenty of other sexy costume versions of otherwise innocent characters, but none of them seemed to jump out at me.

A flash of green caught my eye, making me think of Edward. I smiled. Now… this costume was _adorable._ It was a play on a Robin Hood costume; the dress was green and had a ruffled skirt, and there was a belt that looked similar to a corset. It had deep v-neck, and a jaunty little hat to go along with it. The model in the picture was wearing a pair of knee-length boots, and I happened to have the perfect pair at home.

"Hey, Al, I'm going to try this on." She absently nodded, her attention on the two costumes she held in each hand.

As I made my way towards the dressing room, I let my mind wander back to Edward. His comment about how he thought blue looked nice on me was really sweet, but the smile on his face as he said it made me melt.

_Not to mention the panty 'splosion caused by his fingers on my neck…_I was almost scared of my body's reaction if we took this flirtation we had going on further. _Almost_.

I was on auto pilot as I tried on the costume. It was very cute. Stepping out of the dressing room, I called for Alice. "I need your opinion"

She came around the corner, and her mouth dropped. "Oh. My. God. You look hot girl! You have to get that! Edward will be drooling."

"You think?" I joked, pirouetting and showing off the whole thing. "Have you picked out anything yet?" I asked, looking at her empty hands.

"I kinda need your opinion," she said sheepishly. That was new; Alice never needed help shopping. A feeling of happiness flowed through me. My little fashionista wanted my opinion… whoa.

"Sure, give me a second to change." I headed back to the dressing room, quickly changing back into my clothes.

"Okay," I approached her. "What's the dilemma?"

She held up two outfits and I couldn't help but giggle; the first one was _so_ not her.

"Alice," I laughed, pointing at the gold and white costume. "What _is_ that?"

Looking down at it, she laughed too. "Yeah, I'm not really an angel, huh?"

"Aww, you're _my_ angel, Alice, but I think the wings would make you topple over." The wings in question were huge; they had to be at least half as tall as Alice. It wasn't a good look for such a tiny little thing.

"Yeah you're right." She thrust the other package at me. "What about this?" The second one was definitely better.

"Aww Al, this would be totally cute on you," I gushed.

It was a sailor costume, with a pleated navy blue skirt and a snug white top that had the same navy blue color on the edges of the sleeves. The collar had a red scarf attached to it, and it included a sweet little hat. The model had white over the knee socks and red heels.

"Hey, I have those red mary-janes. They would go perfectly with that." I offered.

"Ooh, they would look great," she agreed. "Ok, I'm going to try it on."

Wandering over to the accessories, I found a plastic bow and arrow set that I thought would go perfectly with my costume, and headed back to the dressing room to ask Alice what she thought. She was just walking out of the door as I got there. She had the biggest grin when she saw me, and I could see why. She looked adorable.

"Alice, wow," I breathed.

"I know, right? Isn't it great?" She giggled, spinning around to show off the costume.

I showed her the goodies I had found to go along with my costume. She agreed with me that it was a great addition. We paid for our purchases and made our way back to her car. Once inside the car, we noticed how late it had gotten. Both agreeing that we didn't feel like cooking, we called in a takeout order.

On the drive back to the store, Alice jabbered on the phone to Demitri while I watched the scenery fly by, lost in my own thoughts. I'd missed having fun with Alice this way. It seemed that lately she had been so wrapped up in her disastrous boyfriends that we hadn't been hanging out as much. She seemed to genuinely like this Demitri, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about him. They had only been out once and she didn't get to talk to him all that much because, from what I gathered, he was always busy with work or had plans that couldn't be broken.

After picking up dinner and swinging by the shop to pick up my truck, Alice and I headed home. Grabbing our food and some drinks, we settled onto the couch for a night of girl talk and gossip. Finally, I glanced over at the clock, noting that it was after midnight. Alice told me she would get the dishes, and I gratefully headed toward my room, calling a 'Good Night' to her over my shoulder.

* * *

I met with Edward twice more over the next two weeks. The first time I ran into him was on the Friday following that first lunch as I was heading to my truck. We talked a little bit, but unfortunately he was in a rush to get to his next class.

The next time, he showed up shortly after I got out to the quad on Wednesday, as apparently he had a nearby class that let out around the same time as mine did. We spent the next hour trading questions back and forth. Our conversation was fun and flirty, and I really enjoyed talking to him. He was really into music, and we got stuck on that topic for a while, each of us passing our iPods back and forth to let the other hear a song or two.

He was happy that Alice and I were coming to his party, and he promised that it would be a fun time. Evidently his brother, whom I learned was named Emmett, was a riot. Edward said Emmett liked to pick on him, (a whole big brother/ little brother rivalry thing), and made me promise not to listen to anything he said about him.

Friday night, Alice and I made dinner together. She cut up vegetables for the salad and threw garlic bread in the oven while I put together the pasta. We were relaxing in the living room after our meal when a mischievous look came over her face.

"So," she started, "how's Edward doing?"

I sighed, getting comfortable on the couch. Alice could talk about boys all night if I let her.

"He's good, Alice." I smiled at her, and she leaned into me, eager for me to continue. "I've ran into him a few times here lately around school. He's really… sweet."

"Oh, I know he is," she assured me. She stretched out on the couch, laying her head in my lap. I began to play with her short, spiky hair as she continued. "I asked Jas about him."

"Jas," I said, raising an eyebrow at her. "Tell me, Short Stuff, since when are you and Jasper on nick-name basis with each other?

She snorted at my question, and twisted her head to look up at me. "We**'**re friends. He stopped by Trax earlier this week, and you know I had to get the scoop for you." Her face turned serious, and I was instantly on guard.

My hand stilled in Alice's hair. Was there something Alice knew about Edward that I didn't? Did he have a girlfriend already? I didn't think he did, but there was really no way for me to be sure of that. I certainly hadn't asked him.

_So Edward, tell me. Do you have a girlfriend? 'Cause I'm not into stealing other chick's men…_

Yeah, not a conversation I saw myself having.

And if he did by chance have a girlfriend, then what? I mean, I liked him... obviously. I wouldn't mind getting to know him better_…_ but if he was attached, that would mean I would have to back off.

"Earth to Bella, come in Bella!" Alice loudly interrupted my space out, pinching my hand for good measure. "Stop freaking out. And don't deny that you are. I can almost see the wheels turning in your brain."

"Sorry." I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly to calm myself. "What were you saying?"

"It's nothing bad. Sheesh," she scolded me.

I just stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"Ok, so… Jasper told me Edward was a decent guy**,**and that he trusted him." She said, twisting her finger around her skirt before looking back up to me. "Bella, do you really like him?"

I thought about my answer for a moment. Did I like him? I was definitely attracted to him; of that much I was sure. He was obviously a good looking guy. He was also exceedingly polite, much more so than many of the previous guys in which I had been interested. He seemed nice, too. I didn't get that `asshole vibe' from him. The few times we ran into each other, he'd seemed attentive, but not clingy.

I decided that I _did_ want to get to know him more. I wasn't sure where this would go, but I'd be damned if I passed up the chance.

"Yeah," I whispered. Clearing my throat, I continued, "I think I do. Now, spill." I commanded her. "What do you know?"

"Okay, so Jasper told me about this party, and what to expect…" She paused, "you do know that it's a frat party we're going to, right?

A _frat_ party? Alice knew I didn't go to frat parties. One too many run-in's with James, or guys like him had turned me off to them. Why the fuck would Edward be hosting a frat party?

"Alice," I began slowly, "why would Edward be hosting a frat party?"

"Because he's in a frat."

* * *

**Oh no! A cliffy!**

**We are sorry, but it HAD to be done. Soooo. Ahem. What did you think? Nic's face is still red, just so ya'll know! We'll cook up a teaser if you leave us some love :)**

**Nic's recs of the week.****(Yes, two this time!) Picture Windows by Nerac is flipping awesome, and you should totally be reading it.**http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5135527/1/Picture_Windows

**Ars Moriendi by vanilladoubleshot is soo good! I love everything she writes… *swoon***http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5121169/4/Ars_Moriendi

**Until next time... *mwahs***


	7. Girl Is on My Mind

**See groveling and epic author's note below!**

**But FIRST: There are a few shoutouts/points of homage to our nearest and dearest B&W ladies in this chap. Can you spot 'em? :D**

**Dufour tune referenced in first scene:  
http://www(DOT)youtube(DOT)com/watch?v=VDXkLPuCybU**

**The full playlist****:****http://www(DOT)playlist(DOT)com/playlist/16736184075  
This chap starts with #20, and erm... *the* song is #27! :)**

**Things we own:  
Dawn—A pair of pink and black knit slipper socks and a 2010 Rob Pattinson wall calendar. Rawr.  
Nic—Five new pairs of super low cut socks, that don't peek out when I'm rocking the pink chucks (yes, I own 'em) and 2010 New Moon Calander. Dawn's got the RAWR one, I'm jealous!**

**Things we don't:  
The Twilight characters and other stuff that SM does.**

**

* * *

**

**"girl is on my mind... try to ignore, try to unwind, but she is on my mind." -The Black Keys**

**

* * *

**

I couldn't sit still for shit. The prospect of the approaching festivities this Saturday left me buzzing with anticipation.

Jittery and desperate to dispel this anxious energy, I tossed my bag onto my desk and strode to the corner of my bedroom, swiping my acoustic guitar from its stand.

My thoughts were occupied by my latest encounter with Bella. With a ridiculous ass grin on my face, I dropped onto my bed, lying back with the six-string Martin resting across my torso. The nerves filtered through my fingers and into the strings immediately, resulting in some odd blues/funk/folk mix. I played, picking and thinking.

I'd noticed a distinct pattern developing this past week: Run into Bella. Pretend not to think about Bella. Come home. Busy my fingers with music and play until the stupid was wiped from my face.

Sometimes I went straight to the basement to tinker with the upright piano, but other times, like today, I picked it out on old Layla. Originally my father's guitar, he'd given her to me the same way she had been gifted to him: as a graduation present and with the words, "Your first and last _real_ guitar".

As my fingers worked out an Antoine Dufour tune, I reflected on the previous week. I'd spent so many days agonizing over whether or not to ask Bella out to do something, _anything… _and I'd finally done it.

Okay, so I hadn't _really _asked her out. I had asked her _over_. To a party. At which at least a hundred other people would be in attendance.

Not very personal, but that was still progress, right?

Yes, I decided, it was. I had been waiting for that opportunity, kicking myself in the ass for not blurting out that simple invitation for coffee before she'd disappeared last Thursday.

I wasn't ashamed to admit that each afternoon, I walked amongst the hundreds of people that roamed campus and kept an eye out for Bella, noticing each female with a similar shade and length of brown hair. Only the similarities always stopped there.

But last Wednesday afternoon… my prayers had finally been answered.

I'd been making the usual trek to my biochem class and, as had become a habit, taking a general note of passing brunettes… when the figure I had been searching for caught my eye.

It was _Bella_. A vision in blue, hair curled over one shoulder as her eyes darted across the pages of her paperback. Long hair tinted with just the slightest shade of red, coupled with the smoothest looking alabaster skin… yes, definitely Bella. My complete focus had snapped to her, and I couldn't help grinning at my luck.

I'd wanted nothing more than to speak with her, so I had. And we'd talked. And, to my delight, we'd flirted. _A lot._

I didn't know it was possible for a twenty-one-year-old grown ass man to get butterflies—fucking _butterflies_, I tell you—but they flew around each time she smiled, each time she made one of those playful statements. I'd never felt that way before.

But with Bella… _Bella_... _"You have to earn my secrets first, Edward," she said coyly. _Oh, what I would do to uncover_ all_ her secrets…

Even now, justthinking about her saying that little phrase again, smirk tugging at her lips and betraying those seemingly innocent doe eyes… made my cock twitch.

She had been playful, but not overly suggestive, obviously not one to give in to anything too easily. That certainly hadn't kept my body from reacting to the mere proximity of her… Even as I picked away at the strings now to clear my head, I couldn't stop thinking about our conversation that day.

_Somehow, I managed to keep my wits about me and uphold my side of our banter without physically drooling over the intriguing creature before me. _

_She suddenly broke her gaze from mine and went to take a sip from her water bottle. I was thrown off by the action, and it took me a moment to understand why: Bella seemed _nervous_. Or perhaps self-conscious, or _something_, and it was different from anything I'd seen from her up until this point. I wondered what I'd done to make her feel that way, wanting to say anything to break up the tiny ball of tension beginning to form between us. _

_However, before I could think any more of it, something altered in her expression; a resolution made. She turned her gaze back to me. "So, Edward, what made you want to become a doctor?"_

_Every time she blushed, I fought the urge to run my hand over her cheek, to see if I could feel the warmth of the blood that rushed to tint her skin. _

_Every time she unconsciously toyed with the hem of her top or a blade of grass, I was completely captivated, imagining her lifting that top over her head, giving me access to everything… could practically feel those slender fingers twisting in my hair. _

_It was all I could do to mentally keep up with half the things she was saying. _

_But there came a point in our conversation when a different instinct took over. The desire to touch her didn't dissipate, but rather morphed from being purely sexually-driven to more of an urge to…comfort? Protect?_

I still wasn't quite sure how to label it…

_We talked about our dads, and she informed me that hers was a cop. I remarked about her father scaring off all the guys that must've come calling at her door during her high school days, all the while vacillating between: A. feeling a bit nervous at the idea of going for a girl whose father carried a gun and would most _definitely_ shoot me if he knew the things I'd imagined doing with his daughter, and B. fighting some ridiculous surge of jealousy at the very idea of any guy that had come into her life before me. But neither mattered as something in her shifted, and I immediately picked up on it. _

_At the response that she rarely dated in high school, I was presented with a glimpse of a completely different woman. A ghost of a former self, perhaps. In our few encounters before then, I'd witnessed Bella behave as nothing but confident and determined. But, in that moment… an air of vulnerability seemed to settle over her, changing something in me, too. _

_I stopped censoring myself. I told her she was pretty, though my brain screamed at the injustice of such an inadequate term. Then my hand, acting entirely on its own, reached up and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear._

_And I didn't want to stop. _

_Her skin was so soft, and she seemed to like my touch, too. I wanted to continue touching her, to continue making contact... _

During our two following encounters, I'd jumped at every opportunity to touch her, however innocently. I'd cradled the hand that gripped her iPod and playfully tugged a lock of her hair when she'd teased me about my playlist. Had even shifted closer under the pretense of showing her the iPod display so the skin of my forearm could brush hers…

Layla sang out a particularly dissonant note, and I abruptly realized that I'd faded into idly strumming random chords. It was frustrating, really, the way this girl could both rile my creative energy so much that it just came pouring out, and at the same time dissolve me into nonsensical lines.

Realizing I'd hit a wall on the musical front, I returned Layla to her stand and tried kicking back on my bed to do some reading for class. However, my eyes kept darting around my room, taking inventory of the unusual clutter instead. I was mildly surprised—I usually never let it get past the point of a couple of discarded t-shirts, but over the course of the past few weeks my general state of 'what the fuck ever' had allowed for larger piles of random. Bella would be in this house in a few days' time… Was there a chance she'd want to come up to my room?

_Gee,_ that's_ not being really fucking optimistic…_

My brow furrowed then with the realization that so few of my Bella-centric thoughts actually involved my bedroom. Most of my fantasies up to this point included classrooms, my piano bench, the tree in the backyard, and even the stone edge of Drumheller Fountain… but _my poor, neglected bed…_

Now that I'd actually acknowledged this small deficiency of my imagination, I knew I wouldn't be able to stop myself from making up for it even if I tried. Another quick scan of my room made me realize that, even if by some miracle Bella _did_ wind up in my room for _whatever_ reason (_she could want a place to put her coat…right? Or a place to rest…And she'd probably need to take off her costume to get more comfortable…_), there was no way in hell I'd want her to see it like this.

Tossing my book aside, I hopped to my feet, immediately chucking things from my floor to my bed: clothes, books, folders, papers and the like. I grinned when I saw an unmarked, white plastic bag peeking out from under the corner of my bed—the bag from Trax. Shaking my head at myself, I retrieved the CD that lay inside and walked over to load my stereo. Pressing shuffle, the gritty and soulful strains of The Black Keys were the first to fill the room as I continued organizing.

I was in the middle of putting my books back in their proper places when "Blister in the Sun" started blaring from the speakers. I paused for a moment in confusion, not remembering having ever bought an album with this track on it, then chuckled to myself when I realized what CD it must be on.

Crossing the room, I flipped the unfamiliar case over and sure enough, 'Blister in the Sun' was the first track listed.

"The Violent Femmes," I muttered to myself. _I didn't know they sang this song…_ I smiled again, finally losing some of my initial regret and annoyance over my random purchase.

The stereo shuffled to the next tune, and I continued listening, absentmindedly flipping through my copy of _House of Leaves. _

"Why can't I get just one kiss…" I mumbled along with the singer. _Wait, how do I know this song…? _

And then it hit me: An image of a dim room with a certain brunette beauty at its center, playfully dancing with her friends and mouthing these very words…

I couldn't help laughing at the irony and coincidence of it all, turning the dial on the stereo up. When it got to the line, "Why can't I get just one fuck?" I groaned aloud. Whereas but a few moments ago the music and activity of organizing my room had successfully pushed musings of Bella out of my thoughts, they were now, once again, wholly consumed by her.

Immediately, her friends were replaced by myself in that mental image. The song's lyrics echoed in my head but its rhythm was exchanged for something slower. Dirtier. My hands would grip her hips, keeping her back pressed firmly to my front so she could feel the effect her movements and coy looks had on me. So she could feel exactly _what_ would earn her secrets…

The scene in my mind morphed from the hazy bar to my bedroom. We stood together at its center, the soft golden light from my desk lamp silhouetting her figure before me. There was nothing now to dilute that perfect, flowery smell of hers. Nothing to detract from the charged sensation of her skin against mine. There would be no 'accidental' brushes this time… I imagined her twisting in my arms, eyes glinting mischievously as she gently propelled me backwards to sit on the edge of my bed. Would she perform a little striptease first? Or would she be too eager for me and lower herself to my lap?

I shook my head and forced myself back to the present, staring at my bright and messy (and empty) room. Knowing I'd _never_ get this shit done if I continued down _that _particular line of thought, I carefully readjusted myself with the mental promise of a hot shower later, and switched to organizing my sheet music.

But when the song on the stereo drew to a close, I pressed repeat.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Being a third-year member of a fraternity had its advantages. For example, Emmett and I didn't have to struggle to move our brown micro suede sofas to the protection of the garage, but instead got to call on the first-year SAE members for the manual labor. However, we didn't just 'supervise' when ten or so of the brothers would show up: Emmett and I would always help them out and fire up the grill for them on both days as a small token of appreciation. And trust me: those guys _never _turned down free food, orthe chance to get into an older brother's good graces.

Saturday afternoon arrived and the brothers helped us clear our house in anticipation of the drunken stampede. Em and I barbecued some chicken and by four o'clock, the guys were gone and our place was ready: nice furniture and breakables tucked safely away, plastic patio furniture and metal lawn chairs set out front and on the porch for the smokers and whatnot, and Em's sound system set up for Tanner (our DJ'ing SAE brother) to use. With handles of liquor, tubs of Kool-Aid mix for the hunch punch, and two other SAEs picking up the kegs, we were ready.

I was in my bedroom kicking off my shoes when I felt my iPhone buzzing from my pocket. I pulled it out to look at the display and stopped mid-toe-off when I saw I had a text waiting… from _Bella_.

Grinning, I quickly tapped the screen to open the message.

_**Hi there… It's Bella. You know, the cute cashier from Trax? :-P So how do I get to this shindig of yours tonight?**_

Laughing, I immediately started my reply, slightly giddy to flirt with her.

_**Hmm, cutie from Trax... Oh! You mean the sexy and gorgeous one? :-)**_

I smiled as I imagined the blush that would no doubt appear upon reading that, as it had when I'd simply called her "pretty" before. I ended the message with some simple directions, double-checked them, and hit 'Send'.

I was excited to see her tonight. I moved to sit at my desk chair, needlessly rearranging stacks of papers, my knee bouncing uncontrollably.

A few minutes ticked by before my phone buzzed again.

_**Sexy and gorgeous, huh? I guess I could add that to the list… ;-) Thanks for the directions, hot stuff.**_

I grinned and—_damn it_—may have even blushed a little, too._ What the hell kind of man gets like this over some text flirting?_

"Edward, what the hell are you doing?" Emmett's voice broke into my thoughts from what I assumed was the bottom of the staircase. "Get your ass down here and help me with this shit!"

I'd forgotten I was supposed to start cutting up fruit for the hunch punch, and couldn't even find it in myself to be annoyed with Emmett for interrupting my mood with his 'gentle' reminder.

I arrived in the kitchen to find he'd set out a cutting board, knife and bowl for each of us on either side of the island, the bags of cantaloupe and apples in between. Rosalie had already mixed the punch for us before heading to Tanya's to get ready, and the coolers sat on the kitchen table atop some old towels.

"Sorry, man," I said to him, still smiling from thoughts of Bella. He looked at me curiously for a moment before grunting and reaching for an apple. I mimicked his action and we began slicing away.

"So, did your lazy ass finally go out and get a costume?" Emmett asked. He'd been giving me shit for the past two weeks for not having anything planned. Rosalie had probably been decided on their costumes since August.

"No. But I still have those desert camo pants and blank dogtags from that rush event last year, so I figured I'd just go as a Marine or something. I assume you already have yours?"

"Oh yeah. Rosie was all over that shit. I'm gonna be a pirate, and she's gonna be my wench!" He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at me.

I rolled my eyes. "Shit… Does this mean I'm gonna be hearing lame ass jokes involving 'booty' and 'hidden treasure' all night?"

A loud guffaw was his only response. I did not take this as a good sign.

As we continued, my thoughts ventured back to Bella. I wondered what costume she had chosen, and immediately, a dozen or so images of her in different outfits flickered through my mind. Some of which were accompanied by very particular scenes….

_Maybe she could come as a nurse and pretend to dress my battle wounds…_

"Hey, Ed, what's going on with you?" Emmett's voice once again derailed my train of thought.

I looked up at him as I was dumping another bowl of chopped fruit into the cooler. "What?" I put a confused look on my face, trying to skirt around the obvious.

"I dunno. You've just been doing that a lot lately." He shrugged.

"Doing what?" _That's right, Ed. Play dumb. He's only your lone sibling and has always been able to see straight through your shit._

"Fuck off with that," Emmett said, immediately recognizing my evasion. "What's up with you these days? First, you spend a week acting weird as hell around me and Rose. Now, you're just zoning out all the damn time…" He trailed off, suspiciously. Then his eyebrows lifted, the corner of his mouth twitched knowingly. "Who's the girl?"

I froze in the middle of grabbing more fruit from the grocery bag, nearly choking on my tongue. "Wh-what?"

"I knew it." Emmett chuckled.

I leveled a scowl in his direction. "Knew what, exactly?"

"Edward, your brain hasn't been this fucked over a girl since high school. Don't you think I remember Kate?" My mind flashed briefly back to the leggy, blond junior I had crushed on hard as a freshman in high school. I cringed internally, remembering how I was a bit pathetic in that sort of, 'unrequited like' state…. Zoning out constantly to thoughts of her during class and conversations with friends, becoming sour towards all my buddies who were actually in relationships…

Was Emmett really saying I was acting like that now?

_Does that question really need an answer?_

"So… who is she?" Emmett asked casually, cutting more cantaloupe.

I spluttered for a minute, almost rattling off three different excuses before falling silent. Emmett continued cutting, allowing me a moment to decide how I wanted to approach the subject.

I examined his face closely, watching for any hint that he was probing for fodder for his bouts of jackassery. However, I sensed I was in the presence of the Emmett who used to like helping me with my 'girl issues.' The one who'd try his damndest to give me tips on approaching the fairer sex before I'd developed any 'skills' to speak of.

When I was satisfied that Emmett was in his, _I'm your big brother, you dumbass—you can talk to me_ mindset, I took a deep breath.

"Okay, fine. You're right," I conceded. "There is a girl." I returned to slicing with vigor.

"Fucking finally!" Emmett rolled his eyes. "I was starting to think your dick had fallen off or something. I mean, how long has it been since Tanya?"

"Two years," I answered edgily. "And it's not like I haven't been with any girls since then," I clarified.

"Yeah, but you haven't been in an actual relationship."

To be honest, I was a bit surprised that Emmett would make that clarification. "Yeah, well-"

"Why is that, anyway? I mean, it's not like you're a damn pariah or anything. You're a Cullen, for fuck's sake." I rolled my eyes at him this time, but he continued, "I've seen the way some of those KD chicks throw themselves at you. Why not take the bait?"

I sighed, wondering how much of a homo Emmett would think I was when this conversation was over. "Because, Em. Those chicks just aren't my type. I used to think they were, but…"

Emmett stopped slicing and looked up at me when I didn't continue. "But what?"

I set down my knife and just stared at the marble countertop for a minute, trying to gather my thoughts. Why _couldn't_ I just make things easy on myself and go for someone who was already _right there_? But I knew the answer to that. I'd been contemplating this same damn question for the past three weeks, if not longer.

"I don't know," I shot back, growing frustrated. "I never… I just don't _feel_ anything with them. They're all… They've all been the fucking same, you know?" Bitterness surged through me as I thought of my attempts at dating over the past couple years. "They either wanted a hot date for formals or couldn't talk about anything but themselves, or just wanted someone to buy them pretty things. Most were condescending bitches."

_Dear God, why in the _hell_ had I agreed to all those dates?_

Reeling myself back in, I realized I was getting angry. "And I _know _they're not all like that. I mean, look at Rose—she's gorgeous, smarter than your ass, and has a personality_._ Whatever. I just don't want to settle with some girl from Greek Row because that's what's easiest."

I stopped, focusing on my cutting again, waiting for Emmett to laugh or shout, "Pussy!" However, neither happened. He simply stared, chewing over my words. After a minute, he resumed his cutting in thoughtful silence, my eyes awkwardly darting as I continued to wait for any response from him.

"So this girl… She's the 'different' you've been looking for?"

I paused. "I _think_ so… I don't know her all that well yet. But I want to, ya know?"

A thought suddenly occurred to me: if there was anyone for James to confide in, it would be my older brother. They always hung together at SAE gatherings and seemed close enough to share conquest-type information…

_Is that what I believed Bella might be to James? A past conquest? _The thought churned my stomach.

"Actually, you know what? You might know who I'm talking about," I began hesitantly.

"Oh, really? I thought you said it wasn't anyone from any of the sororities?"

"No, but James seems to know her pretty well, so maybe you've met her before, or at least heard him talk about her. I haven't had a chance to ask him about her yet," I lied.

"Ah. What's her name?"

"Bella." I was embarrassed that her name almost came out as a sigh.

"Bella… Bella…" he murmured, thinking.

"She's really pretty, has long brown hair…"

"Bella!" Emmett cut me off, eyes lighting in recognition. But then he frowned and my stomach gave an uneasy turn. "Bella?" he repeated cautiously. "Long brown hair, uh… great rack?"

My eyes narrowed, the fruit forgotten. "Excuse me?" was my edgy reply.

"Well," he backtracked, "I mean, I've only seen her a couple times, I think, but the way James goes on about…" he trailed off, looking both curious and wary.

I smoothed my expression, but impatience seeped into my tone despite my effort. "The way James goes on about what? How does James know her?"

"Look," Emmett continued calmly, "I don't know about this girl, Edward."

"What the fuck does that even mean, Emmett?" I practically hissed, returning my attention to the cutting board.

"I don't know. She kind of sounds like a bitch, from the way James tells it."

I rolled my eyes. _Right. Bella. A bitch with _that_ blush? _Immediately, I recalled her vulnerability during our discussion. I knew bitches; she wasn't a bitch.

But then again… James had never really lied to me before. And he'd be less likely to lie to Emmett, right? I'd only talked to her a handful of times, and yes, it's possible my head may have been a bit… _preoccupied_ with aspects of Bella outside of her personality…

I didn't want to completely ignore everything I'd felt to be true about Bella, but I needed to know more.

"And how exactly does James tell it?"

"I dunno. Maybe you should ask him…" He tried to avoid my question, but he could feel my stare. "Fine," he caved easily. "The long and short of it is, apparently she's a bit of a… slut. He said he knows a bunch of guys she's been with, but he was kinda crushing on her or whatever a couple years ago, before he started dating Vic. But when James actually tried to tell Bella he was interested in her, she was just a real big bitch to him, and apparently still is whenever he sees her. He's pointed her out to me on campus before, that's how I remembered him talking about her 'great rack'…"

"Huh," I replied, my mind already turning over this new information. I trusted Emmett to know bullshit when he saw it, but this didn't make sense. I wanted to just brush it off, to figure there must've been something Emmett was misunderstanding or that James was exaggerating about a few key points—like, Bella sleeping around a lot and being a bitch for no good reason…

I thought back to the first time I saw them interact on campus. James had been the first to say something, and she looked at him with anger and annoyance. Or was it Bella that had spoken first, inciting James' look of fury? I struggled to recall the exact sequence of events, but couldn't.

I'd known James nearly three years, and Bella less than three months. The words, "bros before hoes" came to mind uninvited, and I shoved them right back out.

There was nothing I knew of her that supported anything James had told Emmett. I knew I could trust Emmett, and I had no solid reason not to trust James. Sure, James could talk a lot of shit, but Em seemed to paint him as fairly vulnerable when he'd come to him with his 'situation' with Bella; his crass comments perhaps just a defense mechanism?

Still… I also knew it would be next to impossible to fight the attraction I felt towards Bella. But was her flirting with me a sign of James' claims? I couldn't really believe that was true, remembering yet again the vulnerability she'd unintentionally shown at some simple compliments and the mere mention of dating in high school. And there was still the undeniable… _pull_ and instinctual knowledge that she was a good person. That she was definitely someone worth knowing. And having never been one to judge solely based on hearsay before, why start now?

I knew I couldn't just ask her outright if James' words were true, but I wondered how I could find out. The thought that she'd supposedly been around enough for James to call her a slut—a guy whose standards had brought him to the likes of Victoria—sank my stomach. And I realized it was because I really liked her.

These ping-pong worries were going to drive me fucking crazy.

Coming out of it, I blinked, surprised to find myself emptying apples into the cooler. And Emmett was staring at me curiously again.

"What?" I asked, annoyed. My confusion and emerging sadness made me irritated, and part of me wished Emmett had just kept his big mouth shut.

"Look, Edward," he began tentatively, "I shouldn't have said anything. You're a good judge of character, but I'm just looking out for-"

"I know, Emmett," I cut him off, softening my tone. I couldn't blame him for trying to keep an eye out for me—it's what he'd always done. "And thanks."

Emmett nodded, sweeping cantaloupe skins and apple cores into the empty plastic bags. I helped him in silence. I knew he was waiting for me to say more, to tell him what I was going to do next, and he was allowing me more time to think. For that, I was thankful. I didn't know what I was going to do.

"I think I'm just gonna see where this goes for myself," I said suddenly.

He nodded, a thoughtful expression upon his face. "That's cool. Is she coming tonight?"

I smiled, remembering our texts. "Yeah, she is actually." But another thought intruded and my half-smile disappeared. "You don't think it's gonna be an issue with James here too, do you?"

Emmett hesitated, lifting our used utensils and dishes from the counter, carrying them to the sink. He didn't answer.

"Look, I know he's said all this stuff, and I don't want to just dismiss it all… but she seems like a good person to me. So… until I see otherwise… I dunno, I guess I just want you to give her a chance, too. No matter what you've heard from James."

He took a slow breath and turned to smile lightly. "Sure thing, baby brother. You trust her—I trust her." Then his smile turned into a wicked grin. "So she must have a _really_ great rack, huh?"

And with that, the serious mood was diffused.

I barked out a laugh and flipped him off over my shoulder as I left the kitchen.

"Oh, I'll take that as a 'fuck yeah'!" he continued to yell after me. "Can't wait to see what _she_ comes dressed as tonight!"

"Fuck you, Em!" I shouted back.

I couldn't help laughing, appreciating both his serious and jackass affirmations that whatever happened next, he'd be on my side.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Hey, Edward!"

"Goddamnit…" I mumbled before shouting out, "WHAT?!"

"What do you get when you cross a pirate with a zucchini?" A beat of silence. "A SQUASHBUCKLER!"

_Thirty minutes. _That's how long this had been going on. For the past _thirty minutes_, Emmett had been popping his head out of his room at random intervals, shouting pirate jokes across the house—in a 'pirate voice', no less.

I sat perched on my bed, lacing up my tan combat boots when another yell floated through my open door from down the hall.

"How does a pirate get his mast up?" Another pause. "He uses a wench!"

I rolled my eyes, but laughed. Some of them were actually kind of amusing.

After slipping the dogtags around my neck, I stepped out into the hallway. At the same time, my brother's head appeared around the edge of his door frame at the opposite end of the house, eye patch in place and mouth already open to call out my name again. He grinned at my annoyed expression and shouted, "Hey, Edward!" anyway.

"What's a horny pirate's worst nightmare?" He didn't bother pausing this time. "A sunken chest with no booty!" His head disappeared with his loud laughter just as I heard the front door opening. Reluctantly cracking a smile, I shook my head at my brother's antics and made my way to the stairs.

I reached the landing to find Rosalie and Tanya, already dressed in their costumes, with extra decorations for our living room in hand. Rose was, of course, dressed appropriately to compliment Emmett, her tight bodice revealing enough to make up for the fact that her long legs were hidden by layers of skirts. Tanya was dressed as Cleopatra, her strawberry blond hair stuffed underneath a short, black wig.

"Oh, very nice, Edward!" Rose greeted appreciatively, completing a quick once-over of my Marine get-up.

"Thank God you're here, Rose. Maybe you can shut that jackass up," I said, nodding to the ceiling.

Rosalie and Tanya giggled. "Has he been assailing you with crappy pirate jokes?"

"You, too?" My eyebrows raised in question.

"He's been texting us all afternoon with them," Tanya laughed.

"And you fucking loved every single one of them!" came Emmett's voice from the stairs behind me. He bounded down the last few, comically skidding to a halt at the sight of his girlfriend. His eyes roved over her form and Rosalie simply placed a hand on her jutted hip, smirking at her boyfriend's obvious approval.

"Oh, me hearty…" Emmett groaned, stepping closer to her.

"Hey, Tanya…" he whispered out of the corner of his mouth, not taking his eyes from Rose.

Tanya chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Emmett?"

"How does a pirate tell his wench he wants to have sex?"

Rosalie was already laughing as Tanya asked, "How is that, Emmett?"

He took the last step to Rose and grabbed her by the hips, yanking her forcefully to him. "Drop yer sails and prepare t' be boarded!" He landed a loud, smacking kiss on her laughing lips, not a single one of us able to contain our amusement.

Emmett was still groping Rose and planting sloppy kisses on her face when the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of Zach and Brandon with the kegs, and Tanner with his sound equipment. Rose finally detached herself from Emmett so we could help the guys, and so she and Tanya could put up the rest of the decorations.

An hour later, our living room was replete with stringy cobwebs, plastic spiders and rubber bats. At capacity already, a steady stream of people continued pouring through the front door. Emmett and I had taken our traditional shot of whiskey to kick off the evening half an hour ago, and were both busily greeting familiar faces.

A grating giggle drew my focus to the foyer, and I stilled, looking frantically until I spotted Rose. Jessica was here.

Rushing to Rose's side, I grabbed her by the arm. "Rosalie," I hissed, "what the hell is Jessica doing here?"

Rose rolled her eyes at me. "Well of course she was gonna come! All the KDs knew about it. Plus, she's been raving about the 'totally awesome date' you guys had a few weeks ago. She thinks you just forgot to ask for her number, so she believes you'll see tonight as the perfect opportunity to… reconnect." Rose was barely stifling her laughter by the time she finished speaking.

_Never hit a lady, never hit a lady…_

"Very fucking funny, Rose. I don't know what the hell you were-" My delayed rant on our mismatched date was interrupted by a squeal.

"Hi, Edward!"

Removing the cringe from my face, I rearranged my features into politeness. "Jessica," I spoke through clenched teeth, trying to make my tone as gracious as possible, unsure if I succeeded.

Jessica flung out her arms, wrapping them tightly around my neck. "How are you?" she shouted into my ear. I patted her lightly on the back and was about to respond when I spotted _her_ near the door.

_Bella._

_Fuck. Me._

She was dressed as a female Robin Hood—complete with hat and feather—and I couldn't help smiling. When my eyes made it to the knee-high boots that wrapped her delicious legs, leaving a tantalizing bit of thigh bare just beneath the hem of her skirt, I couldn't help _drooling_. She looked so fucking sexy, and did it without resorting to any tiny excuse for a costume.

I hastily pulled away from Jessica, nearly knocking off her kitten ears in the process and hoping she hadn't mistaken my hesitance while ogling for a lingering hug. "Good to see ya, Jessica. Have a good time tonight, alright?" I patted her on the arm with a polite smile. Not bothering to register her slightly confused expression, I stepped around her, making a beeline to the front of the house.

I absentmindedly threw smiles, waves and other acknowledgements along the way, trying to be a decent host but anxious I'd lose track of Bella with all the people around. But finally, _finally_, I reached the foyer.

She was in the middle of whispering something into her friend's ear when she noticed me standing a few paces from her. Her lips stopped moving, morphing into a tentative smile as she turned her head to face me. Her eyes quickly swept over my body before a light flush colored her face and her eyes met mine again.

"Hi." I heard the grin in my voice before realizing it was even on my face.

Bella's smile grew, but her eyes flitted to the crowd passing around us, reverting to that tentative look. "Hi," she finally said back.

_That look…_ To me, that slightly nervous, innocent expression spoke volumes. _Bella _is_ different_, I silently affirmed. Fuck what anyone else had to say.

Instantly, a hesitance I wasn't aware of lifted, and I was suddenly struggling to repress some of the fucking _giddiness _I felt that she was actually here, in my house.

"I'm glad you found the place okay," I continued.

"Oh! Well Jazz was able to help out, since he was pretty familiar with the route…" She nodded her head to her left and for the first time I noticed Jasper, decked out in what I recognized to be his old baseball uniform from his days on the UW team.

He stepped forward, a slightly smug expression on his face. "Hey, man. Extended your invite to these ladies, but it seems you beat me to the punch on one count…"

I grinned, shaking his hand, but my eyes returned to Bella's. "I'm very happy you all could make it."

Her slight blush hinted that she might have understood that I was mostly referring to her.

I finally took note of the friend she had come with, recognizing her as the tiny-framed girl I'd seen on my first visit to Trax. She looked cute in her little sailor girl costume, but I supposed I could hardly be considered a fair judge when Bella was in the room…

Her friend was looking at her expectantly and Bella finally rolled her eyes before smiling at me again. "Edward, this is my best friend, roommate and boss, Alice."

My mind latched on to the most important title of 'best friend' and I took her hand, pulling out my best smile from the Cullen Charm Arsenal. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Alice."

She looked at me speculatively for a moment, sizing me up. My posture straightened, smile still firmly in place, knowing I was under evaluation for Best Friend Approval Rating.

Alice smiled, squeezing my hand. "It's nice to meet you too, Edward."

Feeling myself relax a bit at Alice's easy greeting, my attention returned to Bella. Her eyes fell to the floor as her lip drew between her teeth, and _I_ wanted to be the one biting that lower lip…

Suddenly the sound of Rosalie's aggravated voice drifted above the music. "Emmett, where the hell are we going?!"

I groaned internally, already half-expecting what was coming…

"You didn't even let me refill my cup," Rose grumbled.

We all turned to see my brother coming down the hallway, determinedly tugging on his girlfriend's hand, long layered skirts swishing as she stumbled to keep up.

"Sshh, babe, trust me. You're gonna wanna meet—" Emmett cut himself off once he noticed us all staring in silence at the spectacle they were creating. "Oh, Edward, hi! 'Sup, Jazz! Who are your lovely friends?"

My dumbass brother's lack of any subtlety was already embarrassing. I shot an apologetic look at Bella, who seemed curious. I turned back to Emmett to find him staring expectantly, a wide, dimpled smile stretching across his face.

Rolling my eyes, I took a deep breath. "Emmett, this is my… friend, Bella, and her roommate Alice. Who, coincidentally, are both friends with Jasper as well." I stepped aside to gesture between them. "Bella, Alice, this is my brother Emmett and his far better half, Rosalie."

I watched carefully as they all shook hands, relaxed by the genuine smile on Emmett's face, wondering at the thoughtful expression on Rosalie's. It seemed Emmett truly was going to put all of James' comments aside and get to know her himself. I wondered, though, how much he had shared with Rose…

"It's nice to _finally_ meet you, Bella," Emmett said, throwing a wink in my direction. I wanted to kick that fucker in the teeth.

"Likewise," Bella grinned. I smiled at her, relieved I'd at least given her some kind of Emmett warning.

Emmett turned to Alice then, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Hey, Alice, where can you find a couple of Buccaneers?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes and latched onto his arm, yanking him into the living room. I groaned, swiping a hand over my face. "Emmett—"

"Under your bucking hat!" he shouted over his shoulder as they disappeared into the crowd.

Bella, Jasper and Alice laughed as I turned back, smiling apologetically. "How about we get you guys some drinks?"

Leading them down the hall to the kitchen, I was hyper-aware of Bella's presence behind me. I was already contemplating ways to get her on her own somehow. However, I knew she and Alice would likely stick to each other's sides for most of the night since they didn't know anyone else here. Luckily, I had yet to see James, which temporarily eased my worries of them running into each other any time soon.

We reached the small lines of people at the keg and cooler. A couple of guys boisterously greeted Jasper, and even more gave Bella and Alice an appreciative once- (or twice-)over. I did my best to keep from glaring back at them. I turned back to the girls to ask what they would like—and, admittedly, to block them from view.

But I was interrupted by Emmett…again.

"Edward! Let the hotties party and get your ass over here for some more shots!" He had his hands cupped around his mouth, shouting from the counter across the kitchen. He wiggled his eyebrows. "And you gotta see Wheeler's costume!"

He would surely die a slow and painful death.

Bella was smiling when I looked to her again, as if she knew I didn't really want to leave her side. "Yeah, let the hotties party and go take your shots!" she teased.

I hesitated a moment, torn between just giving my brother the finger and knowing he could get a lot worse if I didn't placate him now.

I looked to Jasper. "Take care of their drinks for me, will ya?" He nodded, smirking knowingly.

Turning back to Bella, I grinned at her with a wink. "Party on, hottie. I'll be right back."

Approaching Emmett, he immediately put his hands up defensively. "At ease, soldier, you'll get back to her in a few. You didn't need to be all up on her right from the start. Jasper will take care of her and her friend for now." He shoved a shot glass in my hand. "Bottoms up, baby brother!"

Scowling, I tipped back the glass. I swiped my hand across my lips and made to turn around, but Emmett wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"Uh uh uh, come say hi to some of these jackasses first. You don't want to look like a bad host, do you?"

"You know I could fucking kill you right now, right?" I growled, jaw clenched.

Emmett threw his head back in laughter. "She'll still be there, Ed. Relax. Trust me."

He led me to a group of people huddled around a guy dressed in black and with Barbies and paperclips glued to his clothes: a Chick Magnet, as the letters in white said across his chest.

Thirty minutes passed of Emmett keeping his arm firmly around my shoulder and steering me around our house, knowing otherwise I'd have escaped. I was itching to get to Bella again, worried that James would escape my notice and get to her first. The liquor eased my earlier nerves, and now I just wanted to prevent an awkward encounter. Or worse, her leaving because of him. She didn't know that I knew James, that I had any connection to him at all… I wondered how that could that affect things when she found out? _That depends on their history…_

I was in serious danger of slipping back into the ping pong worries when Emmett stopped us between the kitchen and living room.

"Damn, Edward, that's your girl, isn't it?" he said from beside me. _My girl… heh._

Attempting to ignore the pleasant feeling that overshadowed my lingering doubts, I followed his gaze. My fists automatically clenched upon finding Bella moving in the middle of the makeshift dance floor, hands on her thighs and playfully undulating against her short friend. _Shit._ I willed my cock not to respond, but I pictured her dancing with me, against me, so close, that supple ass against...

"Yeah," I finally ground out through clenched teeth. _Not working, not working…_

"Shit, Ed. AOL, man… AOL," he muttered.

I frowned. "AOL? Emmett, what the hell does that even-"

"_Arrrrrgh Out Loud_, me hearty!" he bellowed. He hoisted his fake sword in the air and charged off into the crowd, leaving me rolling my eyes yet again.

My head swiveled back to Bella. Clearly, Emmett had given me some sort of green light to go to her by finding her for me and leaving me the hell alone. _It's not still too early to attach myself to her for the rest of the night, right?_

"Edward!" I nearly jumped out of my skin when a screeching voice stopped me in my tracks. _Goddamn it, Jessica._

I looked to my left, seeing her bouncing awkwardly along with the music, eyes glossy and lips parted in a smile that only reminded me of Droopy, the cartoon dog. She was drunk.

"Dance with me!" she demanded. Before I could even draw a breath for my refusal, she reached out and latched onto my forearm, dragging me into the crowd. She stumbled to a stop and backed up, immediately grinding her ass into me.

_Don't think so._

I grabbed at Jessica's waist to move her away from me, but she confused the action for enthusiasm. Her movements became a little more uncontrolled, likely thinking she was amping up her sexiness. Ignoring my gag reflex and trying harder to control her wiggling hips, I succeeded in at least keeping them a few inches away from my quickly fading Bella-inspired-semi.

Cursing Jessica's interference, I scanned the clumps of decorated bodies and breathed a sigh of relief when I found Bella again. Alice was shouting something in her ear, and she responded by draining her cup and nodding to Alice. Bella continued to dance as she moved away.

I watched Bella's movements, plotting how to get closer to her, wishing it was _her _I was standing behind. Her arms were waving and twisting above her as her head moved from side to side, eyes closed and a small smile playing across her lips. A guy came up behind her—some ATO bastard that actually used to seem like a decent guy—and tried to do just what I'd imagined myself doing.

My patience was gone. Jaw clenched, I whipped my head around, searching the crowd. I randomly grabbed the arm of a masked guy clad in all black and pulled him to where I was standing.

He stumbled over his feet before letting out a muffled, "What the-"

"Here," I stated simply, moving his arm so that his hand went to Jessica's side.

"Oh, hell yeah, dude!" he shouted at me over the music and latched on to her waist with both hands. Jessica continued to gyrate even more enthusiastically, clueless to the fact that a ninja had just taken my place.

I spun away, making for the spot I'd last seen Bella. Keeping my eyes trained on her, I was relieved to catch the annoyed look she shot her new dance partner. Clearly, she was not interested in any of the shit-tastic moves he had to offer.

Finally approaching her side, I touched her arm lightly. She swung her head in my direction, a slight scowl marring her features before she smiled for me.

"Hi," she said over the loud music. Annoyance flashed in her eyes as they flickered to the guy behind her, who continued to obliviously thrust his pelvis at her ass. That was all the cue I needed.

"Wanna dance?" I asked, desperate to get her away from the ATO douche.

"But I'm _already_ dancing, Edward," she said slyly.

_Wait, would she seriously rather dance with this a-hole? _I doubted myself for a moment, but she winked, slinking to the other side of me, effectively placing me in between her and her previous—and apparently unwanted—'dance partner'.

Grinning at that hot shit, I gave the poor, glaring bastard a small shrug and turned to face Bella. She was still smirking and moving her body in delicious ways and good _God_ I wanted her.

"Are you having a good time?" was all I could muster the brain power to ask.

"I am now," she replied.

Our movements remained somehow in sync, though we moved more with the crowd than with each other. I tried to avoid the typical, clumsy, sex-with-clothes moves that accompanied masses of drunken partiers. For one—my moves were fucking better than that. For two—the ramifications of such actions might have been beyond the scope of my alcohol-impaired control. I made sure to keep a couple inches between us as we danced.

My eyes only left her when she pointed out an absurd costume, or a guy flailing/thrusting behind a scantily-clad girl. We'd laugh, and then I'd pull some equally-ridiculous or old school move that would make her laugh harder. A few times, I briefly worried that I was making myself look like a total jackass, but then I'd hear her laughter and think, _Who the fuck cares?_ I loved that she didn't use one of those self-conscious girl-giggles either—it was _real_.

The nerves that had appeared when Bella had first arrived were being tempered by the alcohol in my system and from being with her this way. It seemed the same was true for Bella: the comfort she exuded a contrast to her tentative state at the door.

Several girls tried to come up and sidle Bella out of the way, but I was quick to maneuver around them to be close to her again, ignoring the icy and sometimes confused stares aimed at both of us. Each time, Bella would give me a small, shy smile accompanied by another sexy move that only made me want to get closer.

After the hyped-up tempo of the past few songs, everyone was panting and sweating, the air thick with the smell of a party. The change to the next tune was a welcome one as Tanner smoothly transitioned into a slower R&B song with a tango-esque bass line.

Bella and I automatically locked gazes and the goofy grins slipped from our faces, fading into something calmer. Something intimate. Already feeling the opening notes and understanding it would be more awkward to keep the space between us, we took a step closer to one another.

A corner of her mouth turned up and I felt my own mirroring the action as I finally touched her, my hand finding her hip. Her smile widened, drawing my eyes to her perfect lips before moving lower. Forcing myself not to linger on the vee of her neckline, where her chest was still heaving with her deep breaths… I instead continued to where my fingers were traveling lightly over the green fabric covering her curve, creating five pulsing points of a certain connection between us. I wanted desperately to feel _her_ and _that_ without the barrier of clothes…

More pricks of electricity connected with the skin at the nape of my neck, drawing my focus back from images of Bella sans clothing. She'd drawn her arm up to rest on my shoulder while her fingers splayed beneath my hairline. That gave me chills, and as I looked to her face again, I immediately wished for the sake of my control that I hadn't. She had unconsciously drawn her lower lip between her teeth again, looking up at me through her eyelashes. _I bet she knows exactly what that look fucking does to me…_

And my body reacted to her. To her costume, her closeness, to that pink skin drawn between white teeth, to fucking flowers and berries… and just… _Bella._

Even in the near suffocating heat of bodies packed around us, I could feel the more distinct and charged awareness of Bella envelop me as we began to move together. Despite the crowded room, this was by far the most intimate situation we'd ever found ourselves in. I couldn't keep my hands off of her now that she was giving me access. My unoccupied hand reached of its own volition to graze her upperarm, my fingertips ghosting down her smooth skin to the hand hanging at her side. I played with her slender fingers before weaving mine through them, bringing our hands up to my chest to rest between our bodies.

I'd never touched her with such intent, with anything that couldn't be categorized as 'innocent,' per se. And the intentions that underlay my touches right now were a far cry from _innocent_.

My heart was still pounding but my breathing slowed as we settled into the sensual rhythm belying the duet's words of misconception. Our hips swayed back and forth, our quick-quick-slow steps pushing into and retreating from each other in turn. I observed her for a few beats of the song: her lowered eyelids, flushed cheeks, and that same small smile from when I'd watched her dancing before gracing her mouth.

And then she stepped in even closer, one of her legs situating itself between my own. I sucked in a breath as she made contact, undoubtedly now feeling what she was doing to me.

I wondered what she thought about the evidence of her effect on me. Would she be somehow offended by my involuntary reaction? Her body was so warm and firm… Would I be able to stop myself from bringing her even closer?But there was no way I could step away from her now.

And I still needed more.

Our eyes locked and my breaths grew deeper. I noted her hooded gaze and parted lips: she definitely didn't seem to be offended. Out of instinct, my hand swept around to her lower back, exerting slight pressure, bringing our torsos in contact, our linked hands trapped between us. More than anything, my fist itched to clutch the material of her costume.

She didn't seem to mind the feeling of me hard against her hip at all. Rather, her fingertips gripped the back of my neck a little tighter, and her movements against me felt a little more… deliberate. _She knows _exactly_ what she's doing._

Was this an invitation? _Oh, fuck… _My imagination and my cock liked that idea a little too much, and a particularly purposeful move caused me to draw in a sharp breath through clenched teeth. My fingers abandoned their mission to stay relaxed and instead curled at her back, collecting a fistful of her dress. She grinned deviously in response, bottom lip between her teeth again.

I wanted to kiss her.

My fingers relaxed and spread across her back, smoothing upwards a bit, urging her even closer. Keeping our fingers locked, I lifted our hands, extending a finger to run along the edge of her jaw. Her lids fluttered a bit and I could feel her quick breaths washing over my face as my head leaned closer to hers…

We were sent stumbling to the side, roughly knocked by a few enthusiastic dancers. The song had changed and we hadn't even realized it, those around us already carrying on to the fast tune. Righting ourselves, we looked at each other, obvious surprise left in the wake of our near-embrace. Surprise at being interrupted? Surprise that we'd almost shared our first kiss in the middle of a room full of drunks? Surprised that she'd felt my erection against her body, and pressed even further… _Motherfucker! _In any case, I wanted to shank somebody.

Our gazes locked and I watched half a dozen unidentifiable emotions flit across her features before they finally settled on… amusement? She looked so fucking pretty.

She giggled and I laughed, too, at only God knows what, exactly. The intensity of the moment we'd shared was swiftly dissipating, fading into a bearable tension.

I must've looked like some kind of jackass with the way I was beaming. I'd never been this fucking thrilled and pissed at the same time over an _almost-kiss_. It hadn't happened, but at least I was sure that it definitely _would_ have if not for those assholes… There was no mistaking that.

I wanted her alone now, though. Alone and close and touching again.

"I—"

"Do you—"

We both started to speak at the same time. With a small smile, she gave a nod, offering to let me speak first.

"Would you like some more to drink?" I asked.

"Oh, no, thanks. Alice had me chug two cupfuls already… She was going to bring me back another anyway, but I guess she got sidetracked," Bella explained with a look around the room. Her quiet smile brought back my frustration over our interrupted moment.

"Would you like some water or anything?" _Anything?_

"Water would be great, actually," she answered with a bright smile. "But, um… would you mind if I used the restroom first?"

"Oh, sure!" I pointed her in the right direction. "I'll have your water ready for you in the kitchen when you're finished."

There was a slight hesitation on both our parts before we parted with wide grins. I watched her turn, noticing the back of her dress was wrinkled from my grip. _Fuck…_ What had just happened rushed back to me again, and I decided I needed to act once she returned. She was receptive and I wanted that kiss…

"Whooaa, Ed!" _Emmett._ Of course.

"Did I somehow miss you hauling Bella off to your bedroom for a quickie? What's with the shit-eating grin?"

"Fuck off and pour me a shot," was my reply as I followed him to the kitchen, 'shit-eating' grin still in place.

"Now that's what I like to hear!" Emmett clapped me on the back and dragged me to the counter once again, immediately reaching into the cupboard for our bottle of Jack.

I allowed my brother and a few of our friends to distract me while I waited for Bella. However, after ten minutes had gone by, my eyes were practically glued to the opening to the living room, just waiting for her to appear.

"Fuck, Edward, just go find her!" Emmett laughed, shoving me in the direction of my stare.

I swatted at him half-heartedly and threw a, "Catch ya later," over my shoulder before exiting the kitchen.

Skirting along the edge of the living room to the back hallway, I approached the only bathroom downstairs. A line of inebriated party-goers later, and Bella was nowhere to be found.

"Is there a girl in there dressed in a Robin Hood-type outfit?"I asked the Playboy bunny standing at the door.

The blonde swung her head in my direction, teetering before steadying herself against the wall. "Wha?"

"The person in the bathroom," I said impatiently. "Is it a girl dressed in a Robin Hood costume?"

A look of confusion seeped over her face. "Robin Hood is a guy…"she slurred slowly. "Why would a girl be wearing a Robin Hood costume? Some bitch in a skanky devil costume cut in front of me… Though I guess Satan is a guy, too, right? Oh, god, I have to pee," she rambled on and crossed her thighs, still leaning against her palm. She squinted at me. "Hey, you're Edward, aren't you? You're hot. You wanna make out?"

"Um… no thanks," I mumbled, looking for Bella. My neck craned, searching the sea of pulsing bodies for a flash of green from her costume or _anything_ to point me in the right direction. I moved back into the kitchen to see if I'd somehow missed her along the way. No Bella.

_Maybe she saw the line and decided to search elsewhere? _My thoughts flashed to mine and Emmett's bathrooms and I made a beeline for the staircase around the corner. Just as I reached the landing, I looked up to find her about half-way down the staircase. Relief flooded through me until I noted the expression on her face: she looked upset.

_Shit._ My stomach lurched. I'd wanted nothing more than for Bella to have a good time while she was here. _Did I miss James?_ There'd been a significant chance she'd run into James, but I had yet to see him in the house. _Or was it someone else completely that put that look on her face?_ My eyes scoured the bodies around her.

"Bella?" Worry laced my tone. "Is everything alright?" She looked up at me as she reached the bottom step.

She seemed to be contemplating something and hesitated a moment before she smiled. "Yes, everything's fine."

"Are you sure?" I pressed—she certainly hadn't seemed fine coming down those stairs. If there was something truly upsetting her, then I hoped she would let me know.

"Yeah," she smiled wider, biting the inside of her bottom lip nervously. "I just got a little lost. I hope you don't mind—I think I used your bathroom. The one down here had a really long line…"

"Of course! I'm glad you found it okay," I reassured her. It would've been nice to have actually seen her standing in my bedroom. Just knowing she'd been in there, though, would be fuel enough for later, I was sure.

I searched her face for a few more seconds for any remaining traces of whatever I'd seen moments before.

"Do you want to step outside for a bit? For some fresh air?" _So we can be alone?_ I added silently, hopefully.

"Sure," she replied, sounding relieved. Placing my hand on her lower back, I guided her back towards the kitchen, promises to have her water ready for her forgotten. We shifted our way around people until we reached the sliding glass door that opened to the back patio.

Luckily, anyone who'd chosen to stray outside had apparently chosen the front of the house, where we'd set up the extra chairs and tiki torches. The backyard remained empty and silent. I led her towards the lone oak that grew in the middle of the yard, belatedly wondering if it was such a good idea to bring her to the locale of one of my specific fantasies.

A couple dozen feet past the tree, the grass sloped downward to meet the edge of a pond that ours and a half dozen other houses circled. This was a spot I'd come to often on days when Seattle was blessed with nice weather, most often with a book or Layla in hand. A picnic table sat nearby, but I was usually most comfortable just propped against the trunk of the tree itself, which I supposed was where my fantasizing of Bella had come into play.

Our paces slowed to a stop a few paces past the tree, both of us silent and staring out into the water. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her shiver and immediately cursed myself.

"I'm sorry, you're cold. I should've thought…" My hand shot to my hair, assaulting it in frustration with myself for bringing her out into the cold without a damn jacket.

"N-no, I'm good," she involuntarily stuttered and gave a shy smile.

Chuckling, I pulled her to me. "Come here, you." I pulled her back to my chest as she laughed lightly.

My hands traveled to her arms to chafe them for warmth, keeping my movements quick and forceful. My arms began to slow, however, and my hands lightened their touch, gradually submitting to the overwhelming desire to transform my actions into soft caresses instead. Her body's heat seeped through our layers of clothing and into my own as she slowly relaxed against me.

My 'problem' from our dancing adventures had dissipated for the most part, but I was going to need something to take my mind off the feel of her so near. That flowers and berries smell of hers was strong with her this close, and I only found myself feeling greedy, wanting more…

"I come out here a lot," I blurted. _Really? This is what you come up with?_

"Do you?" Bella said softly, almost a whisper.

"Yeah. I like looking out at the pond. It's… peaceful." I rolled my eyes at myself. _Just shut the fuck up, Ed. Pussy._

She relaxed further into me. My hands had completely dropped pretense, now moving with the light touches I'd been craving. "Yes, the view from here is great. It _is _peaceful."

The Jack in me granted the courage to push us further past the "innocent touches" border. My arms stilled in hesitation for a moment before enveloping her fully, lightly trapping hers at her side.

I thought I heard a sigh leave her lips, and the sound bolstered my confidence. Wrapping the fingers of one hand around her opposite arm, the other slipped around her waist, bringing her flush against me. A moment later, I felt her small hands curl around my forearms, and a smile lifted my mouth. She apparently didn't mind me holding her so closely. _All for warmth's sake, right? _

The 'other' Ed enjoyed the proximity, too… and she didn't seem to mind him, either.

A moment passed, and everything felt so…_comfortable._ We didn't say anything and I could tell neither of us felt the need to, either.

But then something changed. Bella's fingers flexed on my forearm, and my grip on her small body tightened minutely. I had to wonder if it was simply because I'd been anticipating it, hoping for it, but that tiny, insignificant exchange was all it took.

The intensity we'd both experienced while dancing had returned tenfold. I could tell she sensed it too in the way she pressed her back a little more firmly to my chest and tensed her grasp on my arm. The action sparked a wave of want, hardening me further. She most definitely could feel it, but I didn't push or press against her.

My head bowed, bringing the tip of my nose in contact with the soft skin of her shoulder left bare by her dress. Her fingers gripping me massaged my skin and my own mirrored the action on her stomach and arm. I inhaled slowly, deeply, drinking in her scent as a small tremor passed through her.

Bringing my lips in contact with her skin, I spoke softly, "Cold now?" Though I knew the shiver wasn't brought on by the temperature.

The tender brushes of my lips against her neck were teasing me; I wanted—no, _needed_—to taste her skin now. So when she answered with a whispered, "No," I pressed my lips to her neck. The slight tilting of her head was enough encouragement, and my tongue tentatively slipped out to meet her skin.

_Sweet Jesus._ It was the sweet flower of her scent, mingled with the slight salt of her evaporated perspiration. In a word, it was fucking _perfect_. And then she moaned…

Adjusting my hold on her, I held her securely, needing to feel more of her. Her body slumped against mine as my hands smoothed over her taut stomach, remembering the way she moved to the music.

Her hands grasped my forearms again as my lips continued their assault on her delicate neck, forging a trail from the exposed bit of her shoulder to a particularly inviting spot below her earlobe.

"Bella," I found myself saying, my voice all whispered want against the shell of her ear.

She shifted slightly in my embrace and turned her head, inviting my gaze to meet her own. I stopped kissing her skin. The connection of our stares was almost tangible.

And this time… this time I knew we wouldn't be interrupted.

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***peeks out from behind pillow fort***

**Anyone still out there? Hellooo! *echoes***

**So yeah... it's been FOREVER AND A HALF (Dawn: I grovel at all your pretty feetsies. This one was all me. In short, RL is an unrelenting WHORE. In the worst way).  
We've missed you all more than you could possibly know, and apologize for the ridiculous delay!**

**A larger than life THANK YOU to our betas: ahealthyaddiction and Vixen1836.  
Sara--you held my hand and talked me through more ish than you should have (with this chapter and otherwise), and I am eternally grateful for your constant friendship.  
Tiffany--even amidst all your real life craziness, you take time to make my randomness sparkle and shine (did that just rhyme?). Adidasward wouldn't be Adidasward without your mad skillz.**

**We would LOVE to hear from you if you're still with us, or if you've just joined us! **

**Speaking of... we would also love to hear how many of you heard of OTIOL! We've gotten bunches of new readers (despite the fact it's been an eternity since we've updated) and are dying to know where you came from!**

**The fantastic news? Nic has already written the next chapter, and it only needs some tweakage and betaloving! Which means reviewers get teased! :D**

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**Dawn's Rec of the Week:  
__****Master Race****-- A new story from our dear Babette12! It's **_**very**_** intriguing so far; you should check it out!**

"Alienated from the Cullens, Edward finds himself bored in South America. When he 'hears' another vampire creating a master race he is intrigued. But who would be the perfect genetic material and what will be the cost to the human mother?"

**********http://www(DOT)fanfiction(DOT)net/s/5488416/1/Master_Race**


	8. Don't Fight the Feelin'

**SMeyer owns all things Twilight. We only play around with the characters. **

**Nic **_**does**_** own a nifty new cell phone and a five pack of Bic lighters—I'm always losing those damn things.**

**Dawn owns a 14-month-old cell phone and a half-used package of Aquafina chapsticks—can never go without it! **

**A bit of back-step, but there are things here you couldn't see in EPOV, and a TON of new stuff ;) A/N at the end. Enjoy!**

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A wind has blown the rain away and blown the sky away and all the leaves away, and the trees stand. I think, I too, have known autumn too long. – ****e. e. cummings**

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_What am I doing?_

For the twentieth time, I repeated the same question to myself. I felt mopey as I curled further under the blanket and settled myself deeper into the couch. A scary movie blared from our television, the screams and chainsaw a macabre soundtrack to my morose thoughts.

After finding out from Alice that Edward was in a frat, I had shamefully decided to skip the party. My convoluted thinking at the time was that if Edward was still interested in talking to me after my absence, I could come up with some lame excuse later. However, I wasn't happy with my plan and had ended up spending my Saturday afternoon sulking around my house, talking myself out of texting Edward nearly a dozen times.

Playing the coward was not something I liked to do, and I was terribly upset with myself for how I was behaving.

To try and justify my decision, I considered whether or not my first impressions of him were wrong. I mean, he was a frat boy, and I'd had nothing but bad dealings with them. Specifically, James. His raunchy attitude was more than enough to cause me to turn my nose up at the whole lot of them.

But… was that fair?

Honestly, I would hate to write Edward off over an assumption: that he was like all the rest, end of story. That was judgmental, and I wasn't _that_ type of person, either. Plus, he had seemed so nice…

With a deep sigh, I re-situated myself on the couch and turned my attention back to the scary movie. The party was in just a few hours, and I still hadn't completely made up my mind as to what I was going to do.

Just then, Alice sailed through the living room, hands full of shopping bags and what smelled like Chinese food.

"Bella, why are you still in your pajamas? And your hair looks awful… shouldn't you have already been out of the shower?" she asked, shooting a purposeful glance toward the clock above the mantle.

"I'm not going," I mumbled, keeping my eyes fixed on the movie.

"What do you mean, you aren't going? Why?"

"Alice," I groaned. "You _know_ that isn't my type of scene. I wouldn't be comfortable."

"Grow up," she growled. She set the bags down on the coffee table and sat down next to me. "You like him, right? No, don't look at me that way. Just answer the question."

"I think so…"

"Where has my best friend gone? You're acting like the Cowardly Lion; do I need to go ask the Wizard for some courage for you? And, come on… you _do too_ like him. Weren't you the one going on and on about how nice and sweet and cute he was?" she mocked, placing a hand over her heart and fluttering her eyelashes at me.

"Shut up, ass." I said as I cracked a smile. Happy little dork could always make me smile. Sighing, I began to answer her questions. "Yeah, but that was befo—"

"Uh uh, none of that. You said you thought he was different, so what's the problem with seeing if you were right?" I started to interrupt, but she quickly held her hand over my mouth to quiet me. "Shush, I'm talking here. So, you go to this party tonight, right? What's the worst that can happen? You see him around his friends, and then you can decide for yourself if you were right to want to stop talking to him or not. Doesn't seem that bad to me."

Irritated that she still had her hand over my mouth, I licked her palm.

"Ew, gross. Brat."

"You asked for it," I said, laughing. "I guess you're right. I suppose it _would_ be a good way to 'see him in action'."

"Of course I'm right. Now, go get dressed, please. You look worse than that monster in the movie," she nodded toward the television.

Laughing, I stood and quickly leaned down to muss her hair before taking off toward my room.

"Brat," she called after me, again.

As I worked shampoo into my hair, I thought about what Alice had said. I _had _thought Edward seemed different. Okay, he was in a frat… so what? Granted, that wasn't really a _good_ thing—not in my eyes at least. However, Alice had a good point: by going to the party, I could observe him around other people, see how he acted around his friends and if it was any different than the way he was around me. That should be enough to at least prove or disprove my thoughts of his character. If I noticed anything I didn't like, well… I at least could say I'd tried, and hadn't chickened out.

My thoughts continued to wander as I got out of the shower. Deciding to 'test the waters' I grabbed my phone, figuring that I could just use the excuse of needing directions to contact him. I sent off a playful message, wanting to see his response, and threw my phone down and began to straighten my hair. I'd barely gotten through one small section when my phone buzzed. I picked it up, shocked to see that he had responded so quickly.

_Sexy and gorgeous? He thinks that? _

Checking my reflection in the mirror, I was unsurprised to see that I was blushing. That seemed to be happening way too often lately. Bolstered by both the talk with Alice and Edward's compliments, I sent another text, ending it with my own teasing nickname.

Worries somewhat abated for the time being, I finished my hair and makeup before changing into my costume. I was just zipping up my boots when I heard a knock at the front door.

"Bella," Alice called, "can you get that? I'm not ready."

I grabbed my hat and placed it on my head before opening the door. Jasper was on our porch, decked out in a baseball get up.

"Nice," I teased, letting out a wolf whistle. "You looking to round some bases tonight?"

"A gentleman never tells," he drawled, languid and smooth.

"Whatever," I laughed, rolling my eyes. "Come on in, Alice isn't ready yet."

I led him to the couch before grabbing some of the Chinese food Alice had brought home. Jasper wasn't hungry, but told me I should eat if I were going to be drinking. We chatted about nothing in particular while we waited for Alice. Finally, fifteen minutes later, she breezed into the living room, holding up my red mary janes. "Hey, you said I can borrow these, that sti– oh, hi, Jazz."

It was funny the way Jasper's eyes darted up and down Alice's frame as a slow smile spread over his face. "Hello, Miss Alice, you look nice."

_Yep, he definitely wants to round some bases._

"Thanks," she grinned. I grabbed my purse from the coffee table before we headed out to Jasper's SUV and set off toward the party.

**~*~**

As soon as we arrived at the house, my eyes immediately sought out Edward. However, when I found him standing in the middle of a large group of mostly girls, my stomach dropped. I watched them flirt with him, batting their eyes, body language suggestive, and my gut twisted violently.

I was surprised by my reaction, and had just started to turn toward Alice to tell her we should leave when a motion out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.

It was Edward.

Transfixed, momentarily forgetting my distress, I watched him as he politely and good-naturedly shrugged out of a short, pretty brunette's half-hug/half strangle-hold. Even from where I was standing, his nice smile spoke of his disinterest.

In my short dating history, I'd been blown off a time or ten by guys. I'd been rudely ignored, and even received some once-overs that made me feel like less than I was. However, Edward wasn't being rude about it, and once again I was struck by how nice he seemed to be. I watched as he made his way over to our group, graciously greeting various people that spoke to him

The girl looked after him longingly, a slightly confused expression still on her face; I wondered briefly what that was about. While Edward continued to move in our direction, I covertly whispered a last request for Alice not to completely abandon me before I turned to face him. Not wanting to show my nerves, I turned to him with a smile… and then I finally noticed his costume.

A snug tan colored tee shirt, dog tags, and desert camouflage cargo pants with a pair of tightly laced boots. My heart gave a funny little flutter.

He was dressed as a Marine.

_Really, who can resist a man in uniform? It's, like… unstoppable sex. _

Blushing at my thoughts, I tore my gaze away from his arms and looked back up to his smirking face.

"Hi," he greeted me, that damnable smirk morphing into a cute grin.

Behind him, a girl screeched as she threw herself at her friends, drink sloshing over the rim of her cup and down her arm. _Frat parties, _I thought._ Great. _Not wanting to let my dislike of this scene get to me and still encouraged by the talk with Alice, I shook the negativity away and turned my attention back to Edward. "Hi."

_Well, that was anticlimactic._

"I'm glad you found the place okay," he said, stare still locked on me. He hadn't even spoken to the rest of our group.

"Oh! Well Jazz was able to help out, since he was pretty familiar with the route…" I trailed off, nodding to Jasper next to me.

Jasper took a step forward, reaching out to shake Edward's hand. "Hey, man. I extended your invite to these ladies, but it seems you beat me to the punch."

"I'm very happy you all could make it." Instead of looking at Jasper as he spoke, Edward's gaze flickered back to mine, holding me captive.

Giddiness flooded through me, and the obvious way he spoke while singling me out triggered one of my easy blushes. I introduced Alice, and then I'd met his brother, Emmett, and his girlfriend Rosalie. I couldn't quite place them, but knew I'd seen the two of them before. They seemed nice, friendly at least, and Emmett's pirate jokes were silly and put me at ease.

Once his brother had wowed us with his… ah, _wit_, we followed Edward into the kitchen, where a few kegs, some large coolers and mountains of booze were laid out. If not for the copious amounts of greek-types, I had a feeling that this would be a very comfortable place to hang out; I wondered what it would look like on a normal day.

Almost immediately, Emmett interrupted us and quickly pulled Edward away after a joke about 'hotties' that made me laugh and shoot a wink in Edward's direction when he had to leave. As we stood around the kitchen, I couldn't help but notice all the looks Alice and I were getting from the assembled partiers crowded around the kegs. After Jasper had gotten our drinks, Alice and I made our way back to the main room, and she led me to the dance floor.

"If any jerky looking dude grabs me to dance, you gotta help, got it?" I warned her.

"Yeah, yeah. Get to dancing, please."

We'd only been dancing for a few minutes when a girl dressed as Cleopatra passed us, deep in conversation with Emmett's girlfriend, Rose.

"Hey, it's you," Cleopatra said, stopping Alice and I in our tracks.

"Uh…okay?" I muttered, unsure of who this girl was.

"Pink chucks. I remember you from the bar. You know Victoria, right?"

_Well, great. _They knew Victoria. I suddenly remembered where I had seen them: the two blonde girls who had given me timid smiles at the bar a few weeks back.

Beside me, Alice laughed uproariously. "Oh, she knows Victoria all right. They've been antagonizing each other for the past year and a half."

"Alice, shut up," I mumbled, not wanting to piss them off if they were friends with Victoria. Rose was Emmett's girlfriend, and therefore had an inside line to Edward.

"I _knew_ I had seen you before," Rose said suddenly, confusing me with the wide grin that stretched across her face. "_You're_ the girl from the bathroom that made Victoria shut up. God, that was classic!" She turned to Cleopatra, imitating a fish, opening and closing her mouth. Cleopatra laughed.

Stunned, I looked over to Alice, who shrugged.

"I'm Tanya," Cleopatra said once their giggle fest was over.

"Bella," I introduced myself, "and this is Alice."

"Bella is here with Edward," Rose said, winking at her friend.

_What was that about?_

"Hmm," Tanya hummed, a speculative look on her face. It made me uncomfortable. _And what was _that_ about?_

"Well, I'm not here _with_ Edward; he just invited me as a friend…"

"Hah!" Rose interjected. "That boy's been having trouble picking out his ass from his elbow for weeks… and I think you have something to do with it. Trust me, you're here with him."

Alice giggled next to me, and I looked over to see a smug look on her face. "Told ya so," she whispered. Raising her voice, she said, "Yeah, Bella here has been stuck in stupid mode lately, too. All back and forth–'do I or don't I'–she's driving me nuts!"

"What's she so confused about?" Tanya asked.

"She's got this thing about frat boys," Alice explained. "I've been trying to tell her—"

This time, she was the one unfortunate enough to have a hand clapped over her mouth.

"Alice, shut up," I hissed, aggravated.

"But, Edward is really nice," Tanya said, sounding confused. "Why would you worry about him? He's one of the decent ones…"

"Hmmph" Alice snorted. I pulled my hand away when I felt her trying to work her mouth open. "See, what did I say?"

I looked at Rose, who had been mostly quiet through the last part of our exchange, staring at me with a look of astonishment on her face. "God, you must think I'm a bitch," I said to her.

"No," she said slowly, "I think I like you… and I think you're gonna give Edward a run for his money. He needs that." Tanya nodded in agreement.

Just then, a large group of girls descended on us, chattering loudly. "Rose, Tanya, you gotta come see this," one of them squealed, grabbing at their hands. The girls looked back to Alice and me and called over their shoulders that they'd catch us later.

"Stop worrying so much," Alice whispered in my ear. "C'mon, dance with me."

We danced together for the next half an hour, laughing at some of the girls costumes and some of the drunk dudes who obviously had _no_ idea what they were doing. She'd slide behind me when a male that we weren't interested in would get too close, and we'd both snicker.

I finished my drink quickly since Alice had pouted that I was behind, and I'd just handed her my cup for a refill when some random guy strolled up behind me and grabbed my hip. He began to thrust himself against me, rhythm evidently be damned. I turned to face him, an angry glare on my face, but he was completely oblivious. However, a touch on my arm caused my head to swing back and, with relief, I saw that it was Edward standing there.

"Wanna dance?"

Knowing that freedom from the dancing dipshit was near, I joked with Edward. "But, I'm already dancing, Edward." Winking to let him know I was teasing, I danced to the opposite side of my unwanted pest, effectively putting Edward between us. The guy backed away, no doubt in response to the angry look he got from Edward.

Once the ass had moved along, I moved closer to Edward, easily picking up on the beat that was pulsing out of the speakers.

"Are you having a good time?"

"I am now," I replied, glad that he found me. I quickly lost myself to the music, his closeness… _fuck_, just him. I was unsure of how long we danced, but I was completely wrapped up in his presence. He'd point out funny dancers here and there, cracking jokes that made me laugh uproariously, or he would perform his own silly moves without caring when people would laugh at him in return.

I was spellbound, drawn to him in ways that were both new and welcome. A happy smile was perma-glued to my face. When the music changed to something slower, I glanced up at him. The grins melted from our faces as we moved closer to one another. When his hand touched my hip, a soft, happy sigh left my mouth. The dance was wonderful, positively sensual, and I suddenly wished that he would kiss me. Unable to get close enough, I pressed into him and was surprised when I felt _him_ against my hip. _Hmmm_. He liked our dance, too…

With a deliberate twist of my hip, I brushed against his hardness, biting my lip at the knowledge of what I was doing to him. I looked up; our eyes locked, and I was mesmerized. His hand moved lower, pulling me directly against him, and my heart began to race as he moved our intertwined hands to smooth a finger over my jaw.

He lowered his head to mine, and I sucked in a quick breath and began to rise up on my tip toes. He was going to kiss me… and I wanted him to.

But then, in the most jerktastic move _ever_, some drunken douchebag knocked into us, stopping us from our intended path.

_Son of a bitch! _

Pissed, I glanced around quickly, trying to find the fool who had dared to interrupt, and Edward's aggravated look caught my eye. He was angry, too. I suddenly I began to giggle at the outraged look on his face, and the sound drew his attention back to me.

"I—"

"Do you—"

I nodded at him to continue, smiling because we seemed to do this often. "Would you like some more to drink?"

"Oh, no, thanks. Alice had me chug two cupfuls already. She was going to bring me back another, but I guess she got sidetracked," I scoped the room and spotted her dancing with Jasper. A soft smile stretched across my face at that.

_Maybe… _

Edward interrupted my thought by asking if I would like some water. I said yes, but first, where was the bathroom? He pointed me in the direction and told me he'd meet me in the kitchen.

I navigated the hallway, searching for the bathroom. Rounding a corner, I had to draw up short to avoid hitting the wall of bodies waiting in line.

_Gross._

Figuring that there had to be another bathroom somewhere around here, I made my way past the group gathered around the door, and up the stairs. The first door I opened was a closet; I took a peek around, hoping no one had noticed. It didn't seem like anyone was paying me any attention, so I kept opening doors.

Finally, I hit pay dirt at the very end of the hall. The last door I opened was a bedroom, and from the hallway, I glimpsed a bathroom through a slightly ajar door.

_Thank God._

After I washed my hands, I took a quick peek around the bedroom. The large collection of CD's against the wall drew my attention. I couldn't make heads or tails of the way they were organized, but I was astounded by the sheer volume; there had to be hundreds of CD's here, and no musical genre went unrepresented.

This had to be Edward's room.

From our conversations at lunch over the past couple of weeks, I knew we shared a similar love of music. The topic had dominated quite a few of our chats between classes, as we hung around the lawn of the quad. Obviously, I hadn't grasped the extent of his obsession.

As I looked further around the room, I noticed a bunch of posters that were apparently from live shows and what appeared to be sheet music stacked haphazardly on his desk.

Was Edward musical?

Even more intrigued now, my eyes darted around, taking in the bag he carried with him to classes and the track jacket I'd seen him wear a few times. Curious, I walked over to his closet and peered down at the floor.

My hand flew to my mouth as I tried in vain to stop the loud guffaw from breaking free.

_Holy shit._

He had almost as many shoes as I did, and that was definitely saying something. I noticed a few pairs that I'd already seen. His favorite brand was _well_ represented.

With a final giggle, I shut the closet door and left the room. As I was turning to go back toward the party, I came face to face with James.

_What is he doing here? _

One by one, the pieces began to fall into place. James was the big guy in his fraternity house, and I suddenly remembered where I knew Emmett from: I'd seen him around a time or two on campus with James. Quickly putting two and two together, I realized that they had to be in the same fraternity… meaning Edward was, too.

"Well well well," James slurred. "What do we have here? Was that Edward's room you were so sneakily leaving?"

I tried to ignore him and moved to sidestep him, but he was having none of that. Moving to counter me, he planted himself firmly, holding his arms out and effectively blocking my path.

"Cat got your tongue?" His eyes roamed up and down my frame, and I suddenly wished I had worn a different costume. "Or," he chortled, "did Eddie-boy give you a mouthful?"

"Fuck you," I seethed, still trying to get around him.

"You letting Cullen tap that?" James asked crudely. "'I've been wondering what his flavor of the week was this go 'round."

_Wait…what?_

"What the fuck do you want, James?" I asked wearily.

"Cullen's track record. Don't tell me you thought he was _actually_ into you," he spat, looking at me like I was nothing.

I needed to get away from him, before I did something I _wouldn't_ regret. I tried once more to walk around him, but he grabbed my arm, jerking me back in front of him.

"You know what, Swan? I changed my mind." His hand, which had been cupped tightly around my elbow, moved further up my arm, past my collar bone, until it reached the side of my neck. "I got _more_ than a mouthful for you." His leer was starting to gross me out, and I'd finally reached my breaking point.

"Yeah right," I scoffed disinterestedly. "James, dear James… If I wanted something _that_ small, I have my own fingers."

The expression on his face quickly went from leering to murderously angry. The hand that had been curled around the side of my neck flexed, and he used it to push me away from him. "You fucking—"

"Is there a problem here?" An angry voice interrupted whatever he was about to say, and I peeked past James to meet Jasper's eyes. I thanked him silently.

James took a moment to compose his expression before turning around to face Jasper.

"Naw man, I was just giving Bella here directions back. Seems she got lost," he joked, almost containing the anger in his voice, but not quite.

"Bella…" Jasper looked to me for confirmation of James' story.

I made a split second decision: I didn't want to give James the satisfaction of seeing me ruffled.

"Yeah," I confirmed. I wanted to get away from this guy and not start any more drama; I just wanted to get back to Edward. "I got lost."

Finally able to get around James, I gave him a wide berth and walked over to my friend. His eyes swept me, looking for any clues as to what was happening before he came over. "Follow me, Bella," he said, grabbing my wrist and dragging me away from James. When we were out of earshot he let go, but stayed close beside me. I looked up to him questioningly.

"What?" I asked.

"Bella…" he trailed off, looking around before focusing his attention back on me. "What was that back there?"

Nothing," I said. Jasper still looked skeptical, but I really didn't want him to say something about what he'd witnessed. "Really, it was nothing. I think he was just a little drunk." I hoped he believed me.

Knowing now that James and Edward were in the same frat, I was wary of coming off as trying to cause problems between them. In his frequent visits to Trax over the past few months, Jasper had heard more than enough of my bitching about the 'random frat jerk' who often bothered me. I was suddenly worried that he would put two and two together and bring it up to Edward.

His skeptical eyes roamed my face for several seconds, before he nodded his acceptance of my explanation. He didn't look convinced, though.

"C'mon," he said. "Let's head back to the party. Alice was looking for you. I think she's a little drunk…"

Glad to be away from James and vowing to keep it that way for the remainder of the night, I followed Jazz down the hall and toward the stairs. Internally, I was shaken. The run-in had been entirely scary, and I just wanted to get as far away as I could. About halfway there, a random partygoer drunkenly hollered his name.

Catching Jasper's eye, I nodded toward the stairs, letting him know that I was going down. Hopefully I wouldn't need to worry about James anymore tonight—now that we'd been interrupted, he would more than likely leave me alone. It was his M.O—throw a few bombs, get me riled up, and skulk away like the asshat he was.

Still, I was pissed. I headed down the stairs, where Edward was supposed to be waiting for me in the kitchen. As I walked, I angrily huffed out a short breath. _Fucking asshole…_ Why was James intent on ruining my fun every-fucking-time? He had to be a prick just because I wouldn't give up the goods. Plus, it pissed me off even more that I now knew he was more than likely associated with Edward.

_This can't be a good thing. _

Thinking about how James might say something crude about me to this guy that I had a big crush on, I wasn't paying attention as I reached the bottom step.

"Bella?" Edward's voice broke into my thoughts, and I looked up to see him staring at me with an anxious expression on his face. "Is everything alright?"

Quickly, I ran through the benefits and disadvantages of telling him what had happened upstairs. And I settled on _not_ ruining his night. I forced a smile to my face. "Yes, everything's fine," I lied.

Like Jasper, he didn't seem convinced. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I tried to assure him as I let my face relax into a bigger smile. Racing through excuses in my head, I bit down on the inside of my bottom lip. "I just got a little lost. I hope you don't mind, but I think I used your bathroom. The one down here had a really long line…" I rambled, hoping that he would drop it.

"Of course! I'm glad you found it okay," he said. His eyes roamed across my face once more before he seemed satisfied that everything was fine. "Do you want to step outside for a bit? For some fresh air?"

"Sure," I enthused, not even having to fake the cheery tone of my voice. I could certainly go for some time away from the party, especially if it was one-on-one time with him.

His hand rested deliciously on my back as we stepped out through the sliding glass doors and into his backyard. The revelers had miraculously stayed away from this area, most preferring the front where an extra party area had been set up. We headed toward a small pond next to the only tree in the yard.

We stood silent, just watching the moonlight bounce sparkles off of the rippling water. His hand was still at my back, warm and reassuring as his thumb lazily drifted back and forth. A slight breeze blew off the surface of the water, and without many trees to break its path, my body began to shiver. Or was it because of his touch?

"I'm sorry, you're cold. I should've thought…"

"N—no, I'm good." _Smooth stuttering there, Bella. _Shifting my focus back to him, I gave a small, embarrassed smile.

With a soft, almost silent chuckle, Edward pulled me close. "Come here, you." A startled laugh left me as he his arms encircled me.

I relaxed into him as his warm hands begin to rub against my bare arms. My back rested against his firm chest, and suddenly I wasn't so cold anymore. His hands began to slow, the rigorous movements of only a minute before turning into slow, gentle caresses. My heart thudded against my chest spastically as that strange pull I'd felt to him while we were dancing earlier reemerged.

_This is nice… _

I reveled in his touch, his scent, his body heat slowly seeping into the fabric of my costume, warming me.

_I want to kiss him. _

"I come out here a lot," he said, his body tensing slightly behind me._ Odd… _

Still a bit befuddled, I answered him softly, my voice barely above a whisper, not wanting to break whatever spell he had worked on me. "Do you?"

"Yeah, I like looking at the pond. It's… peaceful."

It was. The sounds of the party still thrummed behind us, muffled by the walls. But there, in that spot with him, his hands moving down and up my arms in lazy, feather light touches, I was happy.

"Yes," I agreed, "the view from here is great. It _is _peaceful."

When his fingers began to move in a circular motion over my skin, I sagged against him further, my knees going weak. It took him only a second to steady me before his arms wrapped around me tightly, pinning my arms to my side. A soft sigh escaped unbidden at this—verbal acknowledgement of just how…_content_ I was now.

Wrapping one arm around mine, the other going to my waist, he pulled me tighter against him. I smiled to myself, glad he couldn't see the surely goofy look on my face. Wanting to touch him, too, I curled my hands around his arms, lightly stroking his forearms and watching the water, hyperaware of him behind me the entire time.

It was so nice, so comfortable, being with him in that way. The wind rustled around us, picking up strands of my hair and blowing them into my eyes, but I dared not move to bat them out of the way. We stood there in an easy, content quiet, enjoying the relaxed silence we'd settled into.

Wrapped in his arms, I was content for the time being. His skin was so warm that I couldn't resist gripping his arms more firmly, wanting him to pull me even closer; I delighted when he did. At my touch, his hips pressed closer to me, and once again I could feel the…_effect_ this was having on him.

_Well, hello there. Again…_

And just like that, with barely a discernable movement, the atmosphere around us changed. Palpable, electric, undeniable… I pressed myself closer to him, emboldened. His nose nuzzled my neck, and I felt him inhale. Gooseflesh rose on my arms, warranting a shiver.

"Cold now?" he whispered, his lips barely touching the flesh of my neck as he spoke.

"No…" my words choked off as his lips, which had only been faintly brushing my skin as we stood wrapped in each other, now made firm contact with the skin of my neck. They moved in a deliciously slow line up my neck to a spot just behind my ear, soft touches peppered every so often by the gentle drag of his tongue. My body sagged into him slightly as my knees started to give out on me, hands gripping his arms tightly to hold me up. I felt more than heard his soft chuckle. His arm tightened around my waist, fingers splayed against my stomach as he supported my suddenly weak frame.

Every inch of my skin that was in contact with his felt aflame. The heat of his hand soaked through the thin material of my dress. I moaned softly as his hand started in a slow, dragging motion across my stomach, moving underneath the weird corset-belt contraption that was a part of my costume.

Warm lips grazed my ear as he whispered, "Bella…"

Turning my head slightly, searching for his brilliant sea green eyes, our gazes locked. I turned my body slightly more toward him, angling our faces better.

"Wha—"

I rose on my tiptoes, cutting his question off with my mouth.

Surprised, he stiffened, his arms losing some of their hold on me before he suddenly gripped me tighter, crushing my side to his chest awkwardly.

My senses exploded. The soft sounds of our sighs, the steady _thump - thump - thump _of my quickened heart beat, they were a soundtrack to this moment. His overwhelming smell, clean and fresh, washed over me like a heady ocean breeze. My eyes drifted shut when his did, leaving a lasting impression of his dancing verdant eyes etched onto the back of my eye lids. His touch, firm and sure, wrought a tremor from my body.

Our mouths moved together, his lips slanted over mine as I clung to his full lower lip. Passionate, but decidedly… chaste. I longed to deepen the kiss further but he broke away, turning me to face him fully.

"Edw—" I began to protest, but this time his mouth silenced mine, and his hands dropped to rest low on my hips.

Leaning closer in to him, desperate to feel more of his touch, I wound my arms around his back. Our lips moved together, taking and giving in turn. He moved us backward to the tree—when I felt it at my back, I leaned against it. One of his large, warm hands left my hip, tracing its way up my arm. Fingers tangling into my hair, he angled my head to the side a bit.

His mouth became more insistent, his tongue tracing my lower lip. Guessing what he wanted, I opened my mouth, tentatively touching my tongue to his. I heard him groan, and his fingers flexed once, twice, on my hips before sliding around to my lower back, yanking me closer to him.

The molten need for him in my lower stomach flared and my hands traced his back, one coming to rest at his shoulder as the other continued toward that hair that I'd been dying to touch. I had to—I _needed _to—touch him. My fingers curled into the nape of his neck, softly threading their way through the thick, silky soft strands.

Our tongues continued a slow, languid rhythm, teasing, touching, tasting. He tasted like spearmint mixed with whiskey. Heavenly, divine… tortuously so.

I sensed him pulling away, and my hand gripped his shoulder, not wanting this to end yet. His hand left my hair, coming forward to cup my cheek as he slowly pulled his head back from me.

His mouth lingered, planting three soft, open mouthed kisses against mine before he drew his head back to peer down at me. His eyes, half lidded and positively smoldering, raked over my face, resting on my lips for a few seconds before darting back up to my eyes.

"Wow," he breathed.

"Yeah…" I agreed dazedly.

Breathing embarrassingly heavily, I started to disentangle myself from the octopus' hold I had on him. His hand rose to ruffle through his hair, and he smiled down at me before taking a few steps back.

My mind whirred at a dizzyingly fast pace. My free hand fidgeted nervously, tucking my hair behind my shoulders, pulling at the hem of my dress, moving to trace my lips that still held the feel of his.

"Do you want another drink? I forgot your water earlier… " he offered, and I felt a small bit of relief when I noticed that his voice shook just slightly. He was nervous, too.

"Yeah, that'd be great. I am a little thirsty." I admitted. Elation from our kiss surged through me, resulting in a satisfied, happy grin.

When he headed back into the house, I took a moment to scope out the back yard. Off to one side of the manicured lawn sat a picnic bench. I wasn't really ready to rejoin the party yet, and I wanted to spend a few more minutes away from the crowd that made me so uncomfortable, so I headed toward the bench to sit.

It had gotten rather chilly and I wished I had a jacket. I rubbed my arms vigorously in a vain attempt to generate some heat. As I sat there I replayed the kiss over and over in my head. _I hope he liked it as much as I did…_

The noise from the party suddenly spilled out across the lawn, and I looked up to see Edward making his way across the lawn, two red plastic cups in his hands. He reached the bench where I sat and I held my hand out to take one of the cups, but he sat them down on the bench beside me instead. It was then that I noticed the thick fleece jacket that he carried.

"I thought you might be cold," he said, his eyes traveling slowly over my exposed skin as he handed the jacket to me.

"Thank you." I was touched by his thoughtfulness, and I eagerly slipped my arms into the jacket.

I grabbed the cups and he sat down beside me, slinging one arm loosely behind me to rest on the top of the table behind us. As I handed him his cup, I scooted a little closer to him—just to stay warm, of course.

_Yeah, even _I'm_ not buying that line of bullshit._

"So," he started. "Having a good time?"

A small smile made its way across my face as I thought of how good of a time I was having…now. "Yeah, thanks for inviting me. Your brother and his girlfriend seem really nice."

"Yeah, Em's great," he said fondly. "He's loud and obnoxious at times, but he's definitely someone you want to have in your corner. Don't let that silly charm of his fool ya though, he's actually not just a dumb frat-type; he's really fucking smart. Rose is, too."

I felt a small flicker of shame for my quick judgment when I'd learned that Edward was a frat-boy; it was obvious that I had jumped to the wrong conclusion. If I'd just stuck to my initial impression of him, that he was smart and nice, funny and thoughtful, perhaps he wouldn't have felt the need to explain and defend himself to me and I wouldn't have been such a big baby earlier.

"He's the reason I pledged S.A.E," he told me, setting his cup down between us, breaking me from my thoughts. I _really_ needed to stay focused. "When I moved here for school, he was already a member. I've always looked up to him, so I decided to join. If not for him, I'd probably be sitting in a dorm room tonight with a book and my notes instead of here hanging out with you," he finished softly.

"I've always wanted a brother or sister," I confided. "Being an only child got lonely sometimes. But then again, with all the guys from the 'Rez, there wasn't much of a quiet moment to myself," I laughed.

"The 'Rez?" he asked, sounding confused.

"Yeah, there's a tiny Native American Reservation near the town I grew up in. My dad's best friend lived there, and they liked to go fishing a lot…" I trailed off at the confused look on his face.

"So, that big guy I've seen you with—"

I snorted; I just couldn't help it. The only 'big guy' I was _ever_ around was…

"Who, Jakey? Where have you seen me with him?" I racked my brain trying to remember a time I'd ever been around them both in the same place, but I drew a blank.

His hand rose to ruffle through his hair. I was quickly coming to realize this was his nervous habit. Giggling softly at that, I set my cup down and crossed my legs toward him to form a barrier from the wind. I really didn't want my beer to spill and to end up smelling like a brewery.

"I saw you that night at the bar. I was uh, leaving… and saw you and him get on his bike. Which is very dangerous by the way. Do you know how—"

"Not you, too," I groaned, interrupting him. "I get enough of that from my dad."

He took another sip of his beer. It sounded like he mumbled _smart man_ around the rim of his cup, but I couldn't be sure. He cleared his throat. "So anyway, who's Jakey?"

"Billy, my dad's fishing buddy that I was telling you about? Yeah, Jakey is his son. We grew up together. He's one of my very best friends." I explained, smiling as I thought of him.

"Oh, that's cool."

"Yep, when our dads would go fishing, we'd play on the beach or with the other kids. I wasn't very good at it." Truthfully, it was because I'd have probably ending up hooking the person I was fishing with rather than an actual fish.

_Yeah, not gonna share _that_ bit of information…_

"So, you're an only child? Did your parents decide one little angel was enough?" he teased.

"Yeah, something like that," I muttered as I reached for my cup. I took a big drink and looked around the lawn, avoiding his eyes. They had this strange power over me, to make me feel comfortable about laying out all my drama when I didn't really want to. Not to mention that I tended to get chatty when I had a little buzz working…

Shivering a little as a gust of wind swept over us, I burrowed further into the jacket, trying to stay warm. The arm that rested behind me swept across my shoulders and Edward pulled me against him.

"Do you want to go back in now?" he asked, and I shivered again, but for a completely different reason this time. I felt his warm breath whisper against the side of my face.

"No, this is nice." My legs _were_ actually cold, but the warmth of his body next to me was certainly… heating me up.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed.

We stayed that way for another forty-five minutes, huddled into each other for warmth just talking and getting to know more about each other. His strong hands rubbed against my shoulders occasionally, and I was starting to think he had a thing for my hair—every so often the wind picked it up and he would thread the ends between his fingers and softly tug on it before moving it out of the way again.

The time seemed to pass too quickly, and before I knew it Alice and Jasper were making their way across the yard to us. Alice was trying to keep her shoes from getting dirty, and her timid steps mixed with her wobbly gait from whatever she'd had to drink made me giggle. She looked like a flamingo, all little legs and crazy stances. I noticed Jasper's hand hovering behind her, looking for all intents and purposes like he was hell bent on catching her if she should lose her footing.

_Aww…_

"Belllaaa," Alice whined. "I missed you. Jasper wouldn't dance with me at all. You would have danced with me. We always dance," she pouted as she started to spin in a circle, her tiny arms waving around crazily. "Have you been out here this whole time? Didn't you want hang out with me? What were you doing out here…?" Her barrage of questions trailed off as she started to giggle uncontrollably.

She made a move toward me, more than likely wanting me to dance with her, or something equally silly. Wanting neither my heels to stick in the soft ground or to egg her on any more, I took a step back, not noticing Edward standing so close behind me until I came into contact with his hard chest. I started to lose my footing and he reached his arms around me quickly to catch me from falling on my ass.

As his arms pulled me to him, I sank into the comfort of his embrace, just as I'd done earlier by the tree. A soft laugh in my ear let me know that this hadn't gone unnoticed. Again.

"Hello," he laughed.

"Uh, hi. Sorry about that."

"Nothing to apologize for," he laughed, slinging his arm around my shoulder and leading me toward the door. "I think they're ready to leave," he said, sounding down about that.

Looking over my shoulder at Alice, I saw that she was trying to get Jasper to dance with her in the middle of the lawn. "Yeah, I think I need to pour her into bed… soon."

"Well, let me walk you out."

"Okay," I smiled happily.

As we maneuvered our way through the still-packed house, my mind went over the events of the night. On a one to ten scale, I'd give this night a fifty. The dancing, the time spent talking in the cool night air, the kiss—these things added up made me feel positively giddy. In spite of myself I'd had a lot of fun, and was so happy that I had let go of my silly negativity over pursuing this further.

After a lot of careful steps to avoid any flailing elbows or a misplaced ass rub, we finally made it out to the car. I looked behind me and saw that Alice and Jasper still hadn't made their way out front.

_Good. Better make this quick…_

"Thanks for inviting me, I had a lot of fun," I said, turning around to face him.

"I'm glad you came," he said, moving the arm that was around my shoulders down my back, settling along my waist. He inclined his head toward me and my breath sped. I started to inch my face to meet his…

"I can't drive!" A loud voice sounded out, making us jump away from each other.

_Are you fucking kidding me?_

Annoyed, I looked past Edward's shoulder to see a rather reluctant Alice being led by an amused Jasper. He bent low over her, whispering something in her ear. She dug around in her bag and handed him random makeup items. _Oh my god, is that a tampon? _I started to giggle at the look on his face: a cross between mild disgust and amusement. He waited patiently, holding his cupped hands to his chest as she piled more and more items into them. Finally, she waved her keys over her head, looking like she had just won a prize at a carnival booth.

"I found them!" she screamed.

"I swear I don't know her. She's just some charity case I picked up on my way over," I mumbled to Edward.

He laughed loudly before he leaned down to hug me tightly. I smiled into his chest, happy and giddy from the contact. "Bella, your friend is a riot. Is she always like this?"

"Please," I scoffed, "this is just the warm up. Wait until next time, when she pulls out the party tricks."

"Next time?"

I quickly shot down the nerves that tried to take over when I realized I'd basically just invited myself to a possible date."Um, yeah," I said, trying to deflect. "You haven't seen anything yet. I'd hate for you to miss out." I hoped that he'd ask me out again, perhaps for a nice, normal date where we could spend time together without the extra people.

"Hmm, I'd hate to miss it then. Sounds like fun."

I was just about to suggest 'hanging out' sometime—hopefully _soon_—when the major leaguer and his drunken sailor arrived at our side.

"Ya ready to go?" Jasper asked in that soft drawl of his.

"Yeah, let's get her home before she starts dancing for dollars," I quipped.

"Shut up dork," she laughed. "I would never… okay, maybe once, but I wouldn't again."

Edward and I snickered as Jasper's mouth opened into an 'o'.

I squeezed Edward once more before moving to help Jasper get Alice in the backseat; she finally stopped squirming long enough to let me buckle her in. Keeping my other hand in a tight grip on the hem of my costume, lest an unfortunate flashing occur, I managed to crawl out of the backseat with Edward's help.

"Um, have fun with the rest of your party," I said, a little sadly. I would have liked to stay and talk to him some more.

"I'll try," he said, and I thought I detected the same reluctance in his tone. "I'll see you Wednesday?"

"Wednesday," I agreed.

He squeezed my hand once before letting it go, and I walked around to the passenger side and slid in next to Jasper. As we pulled away, Edward raised his hand in a wave before turning around to head into his house, back to the party.

Alice chattered to us happily from the backseat, relaying all the things I had missed while I was outside. Evidently Emmett's girlfriend had hung out with Alice a bit and they had gotten along quite well.

I tried to pay attention to the conversation, but eventually I tuned them out. Left to my own thoughts as Alice and Jasper threw around suggestions for where to stop and grab a soda, James' words from our interaction in the hallway came back to me.

I'd blown him off at the time, more worried with just getting away from him than I was in paying attention to what he was saying. Now, without Edward's presence to distract me, I couldn't stop from wondering what he had meant. I didn't want to let James succeed in planting even the smallest seed of doubt where Edward was concerned, but I couldn't really help it. What if there was actually some grain of truth to his words?

"_You letting Cullen tap that?_ _I've been wondering what his flavor of the week was this go 'round…"_

"_Cullen's track record… Don't tell me you thought he was actually into you…"_

**~*~**

I woke up the next day, groggy and bleary eyed from last night's debauchery. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I made my way to the kitchen. As I sat waiting for the coffee to finish, I replayed the events of last night in my head.

To say that I'd been shocked when I realized that Edward was in a fraternity was by no means an understatement. I'd accepted the fact that he was in a frat, and had chosen to let this play out and see where it led. However, our prior encounters, Alice's insistence that I give him a chance and my own observations while at his house had helped calm my worries. No longer convinced that he was just some stereotypical 'party all the time' frat jerk, my nervous hang-ups were now soothed.

The coffee machine buzzed, and I poured myself a cup. Sitting at the small island, I sipped my drink and let my mind wander back to the rest of the night.

_That kiss._

That kiss had been incredible, almost surreal in its perfection. His lips, soft and warm, had melded to mine so nicely. His lean physique pressed tightly to my own, hands moving softly but surely over my frame. It all combined to make for a magical first kiss.

Our time spent just talking was great, too; trading stories back and forth as we huddled together in the chilly air, the small touches and flirty banter back and forth–it was all so _nice_. And he'd been so cute, acting tense over _Jakey_, of all people.

Still, I was a little worried. We'd been drinking, and while the clues were all there—the touches, the dancing, the flirting that we'd shared up until that point—I was unsure. Maybe I'd taken his caresses of my neck for something that he hadn't meant, and I'd let my hormones take over. We had been drinking, after all.

_But he'd seemed into it, too… And he stayed with me the rest of my time there…_

My coffee eventually turned cold, and I grimaced at the sour taste. I dumped the half-finished drink into the sink.

Alice eventually rolled out of bed around two in the afternoon, and by then I was done ruminating. Instead, I listened to her more… _coherent _version of the night than the one I'd heard in the car. She'd had fun with Jasper and had talked to Rosalie for a while. But, that was Alice. She could make friends anywhere.

Our Sunday passed uneventfully. We spoke a little about her date she had scheduled for Thursday with Demitri. Apparently, they were going to go out on Halloween night. She'd talked him into taking her to a few haunted houses, but I knew that she just wanted an excuse to cuddle close to him. I'd half-heartedly helped her plan her outfit, disappointed that she hadn't grown tired of him yet.

I stared at my phone for a good portion of the night, trying to work up the nerve to text Edward, but unsure of what to say to him. Deciding that I'd let it ride until I saw him on Wednesday, I finally went to sleep around midnight.

**~*~**

Tuesday was a long day of classes for me, and as I tiredly drove myself to work after my last class, my mind wandered to Edward. I was slightly upset that I still hadn't heard from him, although I could blame myself as well. I'd still not worked up the nerve to contact him, and was growing more and more frustrated with myself over it.

Where had the confident, self-assured girl of a few weeks ago gone? Alice was right; I'd turned into the freaking Cowardly Lion.

I began to mentally berate myself. I hadn't acted this way since I'd first gotten to college, and my thoughts turned to scathing self pity. Suddenly, I realized that I _was_ letting James' words affect me. His comment about me being just the 'latest flavor of the week' had thrown me for a loop. That had, of course, been one of my own initial thoughts, and his not-so-subtle reassurance of my own doubts had been left to fester, gnawing at and disintegrating my confidence.

I pushed the damaging thoughts aside as I parked my truck in front of the store. I was determined not to let the insecurities I'd fought so hard against get to me.

Making my way to the back, I found Alice bent over the computer in her office. I had about fifteen minutes until I was scheduled to work, so I walked up behind her, intending to sit and chat for a bit. I needed her reassurances. However, noticing that she had an order form partly filled out and a clipboard lay beside her computer, titles of new releases and older best sellers partially crossed off as she entered them into the computer, I tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, I'm here," I told her, breaking her out of her typing. "Where do you need me?"

She lifted her eyebrows suggestively at me. Laughing, I made a move toward her hair, shiny and curled in tiny wild ringlets today. Her short spiky hair cut was starting to grow out, and she'd been styling it differently every day this week. She slapped my hand away, glaring at me when she guessed that I'd been about to mess it up.

"Eric needs to leave soon, so can you take over the register?" she asked. "Oh, and there's a box up front underneath the counter by the window. Could you sort the titles for me so Garrett can shelve them tomorrow?"

"Sure thing, sweet-cheeks," I said as I settled into the chair opposite the desk. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"Of course I do. What's up?"

"Well," I started, grabbing a pen from her desk with which to play. "It's about Edward. I haven't heard from him since the party, and that James guy said something that made me worry, and you know I don't deal well wi–"

She held up a hand, cutting off my verbal onslaught of negativity. "Stop it, right now," she scolded. "I know what you're doing. You do this all the time. You're scared that you may actually like this guy, and you're trying to find a way to make your feelings seem like they are less than they are."

I nodded but said nothing. She was right.

"Bella," she sighed, "let it alone. What did James say that has you all worked up? Let's start there, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed. "Well, I ran into James at the party after I was leaving the bathroom."

"You didn't tell me that. What happened?"

"He was being an ass… as usual. He made some crude remarks, and I got pissed and shot my mouth off," I felt my anger begin to rise as I remembered his lewd comments. "Then he started to taunt me that I was just a 'flavor of the week' and how Edward evidently runs through girls like tissues…"

"Do you believe that?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know."

"And this is why you're worried?"

"Yes. I do like him… but you're right, I'm also scared to like him. What if James was actually being truthful and I'm just another notch to add to some bedpost?"

"But, don't you…" she trailed off, her voice fading out before she could ask her question.

"Don't I what?"

"How many guys have you stopped talking to when you thought they were catching feelings for you?"

"What… you…" I spluttered indignantly.

"Don't be a brat, just listen to me. You cannot deny that you are quick to back out of a possible relationship if you think it has the potential to go anywhere. I'm not saying anything negative; I'm just trying to get you to see this from both sides. Maybe… you could try a relationship, and everything that comes along with that? The ups and downs, talking out issues instead of running away from them…"

I bit back the "you're one to talk" retort that wanted to escape when it occurred to me that Alice was at least _willing_ to dive into relationships, even if they were with men who were completely wrong for her. My defensive instinct chose that moment to turn into offensive instead.

"You talk about my track record? You've got more blemishes on yours than I do. I mean, what the hell are you doing with this Demitri guy? He only calls you or sees you when it's convenient for him."

Her pretty features twisted with hurt, and I immediately regretted my words. "Get to work. If you're gonna be a bitch, than I'm not going to talk to you."

I scooted the chair back and left the office, heading to the counter to relieve Eric of his register duties. The store was quiet and I busied myself with the box of CD's, my mind reeling over my spat with Alice. We so rarely had fights, so even this mild one sent me into a tailspin.

Deep down, I knew what my problem was. I was unsure about Edward, and lashing out at her and her spotty history with men was my way of deflecting the spotlight off me, even though I had willingly asked for her thoughts. My gut churned when I realized how mean I had treated Alice when she was just trying to help me. She was right, but I reacted in the same way for which I often chastised her: defensive and quick to react. That just wasn't like me.

Navigating my mental excursion to _Bad_ _Friendville: Population One,_ I was sorting the CDs into four neat piles started when the bell above the door rang. Glancing up disinterestedly my eyes widened as I came face to face with Edward. He was leaning over the counter toward me, a smirk upon his lips.

"H—Hi," I stuttered.

His eyes roamed my face, settling briefly on my mouth before darting up to my eyes. "Hello." He smiled at me, a small but happy grin. I felt myself relax slightly. He was here, alone, and I hoped that he had chosen to seek me out.

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking down at my piles.

Rolling my eyes at his silly question, I laughed softly. "Working."

As that cute half grin of his came back, a small smile graced my own face and I felt my tension ease as his presence relaxed my lingering guilt.

"You look upset… are you okay?" he asked, obviously picking up on my sour mood.

"Yeah, but it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

His gaze shifted back down to my piles, and he grabbed a CD from the top. Flipping it over, he studied the back before silently chuckling to himself and setting it back down.

_The Violent Femmes… Nice._

"You know," he started, "that is the same CD I bought the other day."

I laughed, remembering his confession that he'd bought a CD simply because the cover caught his eye. Thinking back to the party and my perusal of his room, I wondered how often he did that.

I picked up the CD and turned it slowly in my hands, taking in the familiar cover. "This is one of my favorites," I said, looking up at him. "I listen to it whenever I need a pick-me-up."

"Oh, really? And how often is that?"

Shrugging, I placed the CD back into its pile. "Not very often, but it's guaranteed to make me happy when I do. Have you listened to it?"

"Yeah, it's… different."

"Different?" I scoffed. "It's amazing, is what it is."

"Why, Bella," Edward said, pretending to be shocked, "are you arguing with _me_ over music?"

Obviously, our playful banter hadn't been affected by our impromptu, inebriated kiss. A sudden rush of warmth hit my face as I remembered that kiss, and his head cocked a little to the side, face contemplative.

"What?" he questioned, still smiling.

"Just a memory," I replied, looking down to my piles.

I saw his hand rise and a second later felt it touch my chin softly, raising my face up to meet his. His gaze turned probing, searching my own for something. His eyes softened then, and his mouth settled back into a smirk.

"A good memory, I hope?"

I cleared my throat and his hands left my face, drifting back down to the counter. Trying to calm my galloping heart, I straightened myself up, as I had unconsciously been leaning toward him. "I think so," I said softly.

"Good. I'm glad." He drew his hand up to scratch through his already wild hair. _He's nervous._ "Uh, I actually stopped by for a reason."

"Oh, really? What's that?"

"Well, I was next door with Jasper when I realized that I won't be able to see you tomorrow," he trailed off.

My mind instantly jumped to the worst possible conclusion: he hadn't had as much fun as I'd had with him Saturday night. That _must_ have been the reason I hadn't heard from him yet, and now he was coming here to try to let me down gently. Of course he was, because he was a nice guy…

"Bella," Edward's voice interrupted my dismal line of thoughts. "Did you hear me?"

"Um, no, sorry." I told him, ducking my face down to hide the disappointment that must have been clearly visible. "What were you saying?"

"I said that I have a paper I need to work on with a few people from my class." He paused until I lifted my eyes to meet his. "But I still want to see you sometime this week. Do you think that maybe…" he hesitated, hands returning once again to tug at his hair.

My nerves eased slightly at this, but I was still wound tight, waiting for his next words.

"Um, would you like to go out Thursday? We could go out for coffee or something."

Breathing a sigh of relief, I smiled at him. "Yeah, I'd love to get coffee with you."

Edward's grin was wide and utterly adorable. "Great," he said. "Can I pick you up at home?"

Running over my schedule quickly in my head, I realized that I would be at work that day. "Actually, I have to work on Thursday. Could I meet you here?" Figuring that I could get ready at the store, I continued. "What time? I'm here until six-thirty."

"How does seven sound?"

"Sounds perfect." I was already planning it: if I made sure that I dressed appropriately before my classes that day, I could be ready before he got here.

"Great," he agreed, smiling at me widely. "Well, I need to get going on my paper, but I'll see you then?"

"Sure. Good luck on your paper," I told him as I walked around the counter, wanting to see him out the door. "I guess I'll talk to you then."

"Well, you _do _have my number," he laughed.

"And you have mine," I reminded him archly.

"Touché." He grabbed me suddenly around the middle, pulling me to him for a quick hug. Leaning back to look down at me, he asked, "Would it be all right if I called you later? Just in case I need a break from my studying?"

"I'd like that," I said, disentangling from his embrace as I saw a young man open the door. I noticed his odd glance over in our direction, and I realized that our embrace may not be entirely appropriate for my work place, but I just couldn't find it in me to care. Edward wrapped his arm snugly over my shoulder and we started to walk toward the exit. "I'm looking forward to Thursday," I said, secretly dancing inside at the thought of an _actual_ date with him.

"Bye, Bella." He swooped in for another quick hug before turning to leave the store.

Sighing, I watched him walk away down the square. When he was out of view, I turned from the window and headed back to the counter.

I had just started to ring up the lone customer in the store when I heard my phone beep from my bag. I hurried with the rather cute customer who had interrupted our little goodbye, handing him his bag and wishing him a nice night; his lingering perusal of my frame and flirty smile didn't escape my notice. This had taken some getting used to over the years: guys looking at me, liking the way I looked now. It was a natural reaction for me to be flattered by their attention, but it had taken some time for me to be entirely comfortable with it.

_Until Edward__, that is._

The reactions he elicited from me were new and exciting. He made my heart race, and I found myself nervously fidgeting when I was in his presence. His casual touches, the sweet but meaningful looks that he threw my way… I couldn't help but wonder if he somehow saw through my carefully constructed walls, if he somehow knew just what to say to me to put my over-worked mind to rest.

My phone beeped again, and I came back to the present from my space-out. I dug around in my bag for my phone, and my screen informed me that there was a new text message… from Edward.

Grinning, I opened the message.

**I'm looking forward 2 coffee 2. Call me when you get home **

_You can bet on it…_

_

* * *

  
_

**A/N**

**Nic – Sorry for the delay, ya'll. RL is not nice sometimes and it's not easy focusing on first kisses when you have sick family members. (By the way… SQUEE! They KISSED! Did you like it?!) We would love to be weekly updaters, but I don't think that will ever happen. We will finish this though, someday. We apologize for this and if you are still with us… THANK YOU for reading and the reviews you leave—they make us excessively giddy ;)**

**Major love and thanks to our betas, AHealthyAddiction and Vixen1836 for keeping us in line and smacking our hands when we go off on an odd tangent. We adore you ladies, truly.**

**A few things:**

**Nic—I wrote a short O/S for the Haiti relief compilation that Ms. Kathy organized. It's smutty and fun, so if you have it, check it out. It's called _An Unexpected Site_. I **_**was**_** going to post it here but I won't be doing that now. I'm in the process of moving my stuff over to LiveJournal, which is where the O/S can be found after March 1st. The link to my LJ can be found on my profile. Also, I posted another O/S for the Write What You Know contest here. It's called _Finding Hope_, if anyone would like to read :)**

**Dawn – MASSIVE apologies for the absolute review-reply FAIL. I promise, I'm usually better and just sucked at life this go 'round. Nic is way better at it always, so if you are so inclined, leave us a review and you'll get teased. :D**

**Oh, and HELLO!! new readers.**

**There is a nice little story by Rae Cullen and Agoraphobiantic called _Animal I've Become_ that I'm terribly intrigued by—I love what has been posted so far, and I'm **_**hoping **_**for more soon. Check it out and wait anxiously with me, lol: http://www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5597527/1/Animal_Ive_Become**


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